A 55 year old male patient was admitted to the hospital after he suddenly collapsed during work. Measurement of his blood sugar levels showed that it was 250 g/dl. He also said that he had been feeling general body weakness, increased thirst and numbness in arms and legs since the past few months. He is a resident of Pune.
Diabetes is defined as elevation of the blood sugar levels over 200 g/dl which is measured after the patient is kept fasting for 8 hours. Urine examination of diabetic patients show presence of sugar and proteins. Diabetes can occur either due to defect in the production of insulin or insensitivity of the cell receptors to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
Why is it essential for our body to regulate its sugar? When the blood increases, it implies that the cells don’t get enough energy to function, as a result unconscious is common. Immediate effects are increased loss of water which makes the person dehydrated and thirsty. Long term complications of diabetes are many most common being ocular such as deterioration of vision, neurological effects, cutaneous complications such as ulcers and loss of sensation in the extremities.
The patient’s mother also had diabetes and this further increases his risk of having the disease.
This patient is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As mentioned previously, he also has a positive family history of diabetes. Lab examinations are consistent with diabetes mellitus. This patient also has a BMI of 29 which categorises him as overweight. Moreover his hip to waist ratio is more than the normal, indicating that he has more of central belly fat. This is a very important contributing factor to diabetes. He also complains of numbness in his legs which signify that he may develop foot ulcerations easily.
To prevent any complications and the halt the progression of disease the patient should actively try to maintain his blood sugar levels. Oral hypoglycemia drugs (eg. Metformin, Voglibose etc.) are the gold standard of treatment. Diet and weight reduction play a very important role to improve prognosis. Many diabetic people have managed to maintain sugar solely through dietary and lifestyle changes. Since this is a chronic disease regular follow up is essential.
The patient was diagnosed 5 years ago. Initially for the first 2 months he found it very difficult to make lifestyle changes. He would often forget to take his medicines on time. Then he began using SiCureMi. He promptly saw a major difference. SiCureMi gave him reminders on his phone app and it became much easier for him to take his meds on time before every meal. IoT wearables gave real time records of his blood sugar levels and SiCureMi’s software made these values easily available to his physician, enabling his doctor to make informed modifications to his treatment plan. This is more user friendly for the patient since he doesn’t have to go for repeated finger pricks.
As regards to adopting a healthier lifestyle, SiCureMi was truly invaluable companion. Fitness bands helped him achieve his ideal weight goal. It also kept a track of the no. of steps he took and he was motivated to chuck the couch potato lifestyle. He now regularly took his evening walk and went to the gym on weekends. SiCureMi also provides him information about food which have a high sugar content so that he can avoid it.
SiCureMi also helps him connect easily with emergency care services. In any unfortunate incident of hypoglycemic or hyperglycemia collapsing spells, SiCureMi makes medical care reach him promptly.
5yrs post his diagnosis, SiCureMi is still a major part of his life. His blood sugar is well under control. Initially he was taking 2 medicines daily before every meal but with SiCureMi helping him maintain a healthy life, now he just needs a single oral hypoglycemic medicine, minimizing the side effects.
Fortunately he hasn’t developed any complications. SiCureMi’s positive review from this patient made his physician recommend this software to his other diabetic patients.
SiCureMi does play a significant role is care for patients with chronic disease.