Covid-19 and diabetes: Effective ways to manage the condition


Globally, India stands second in accordance to number of diabetics in the country. The pandemic lockdown has brought in more tensions, as to what will be the impact of the virus to diabetics and how to manage the same. Doctors have warned that diabetics are at higher risk of being infected by Covid-19. Early studies in May have shown that nearly 25% of coronavirus cases had diabetes. It is said that, diabetics are more likely to have serious complications and may die from the virus. One of the key reason being that high blood sugar weakens the immune system, making it less liable to defend infections. Some elements of factors to be considered to stay tension free.

Infection cautious
Avoid moving out and maintain social distancing when in public. Avail your diabetes medication through any best medicine app in India. If you happen to return from outside, then wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or else use hand sanitizer. It is advisable to wash hands before taking insulin shots. Clean the area with soap and water or alcohol swab. Don’t share personal belongings. Distance yourself from guest who visits your house, at times even from your family members.
Management plan
Keep the essentials in stock at home including food and medicines. Online purchase is preferable with safety measure. In case of hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar, keep a good stock of glucose pellets, honey, fruit juice or hard candies. Buy medicines, health products online like refills of insulin injections, diabetic medications, glucose and ketone monitoring strips. Physician, diabetologist and health insurance company’s contact number to be saved.
Fall in sick
Stay at home or home quarantine yourself if you happen to fall sick. Monitoring of the blood glucose level should be conducting often. Continue normal meal plan to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. Drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated to trigger the immune system. Seek immediate care or consult the physician if you suspect coronavirus symptoms.
Tech care
With the introduction of smartphones, mobile applications have come in handy. There are diabetes apps to take care of diabetes self- management. It allows to manually enter for blood glucose, food intake, exercise time and insulin intake. Few advanced apps can be connected to wearable devices that provide immediate feedback for every action. Transition from medical records to data based is possible by electronic medical records (EMR). It helps the health care professionals to refer your case easily with no much time. Patient and doctor can exchange health information through telehealth i.e., electronic communication like video calls or SMS. Diabetes and its complication can be understood via convenient and easy means like web portals, blogs, educational videos and structured online educational material. A digital device a diabetic can use for self- monitoring of glucose is a glucometer.
Due to development and involvement of technology, diabetes management has undergone various changes. So, there is scope for some technological intervention to occur for diabetics to fight against Covid-19.
Research so far
According to an international group of 17 experts, Covid-19 can trigger the onset of diabetes even in healthy people. A clinical observation made by scientists like Stephanie A. Amiel from King’s College London, the relationship between Covid-19 and diabetes is bi- directional. Some scientists believe that the coronavirus might alter the glucose metabolism that can complicate the pre- exiting diabetes conditions or lead to an occurrence of new disease. However, the cause of coronavirus and its impact on diabetes is unclear as the exact mechanism of the virus by which glucose metabolism is effected is unknown.

Definitely, the Covid-19 infection is a double challenge for diabetics. The management and control of the disease is the only way to avoid the virus infection. It’s time to be extra cautious and stay prepared to defend against the highly contagious virus.

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