Diabetes self-management

In any industry, especially healthcare, information is power. Because when we have the necessary information, we use it to make decisions that benefit us the most. It is even more paramount when it comes to diabetes because it is a chronic disease that affects the quality of our life. Knowing more about various aspects of diabetes helps us maintain blood glucose levels. When we take informed actions, it will help prevent or delay the onset of heart diseases, kidney diseases, nerve damage, vision loss, etc. Also know about freedom from diabetes

How to Analyze Diabetes Blood Glucose Data?

One of the first things to understand about diabetes is blood glucose data. Learning the various statistics involved in diabetes will help us know more about the disease. This knowledge will let us take better actions to control blood glucose. Continuous glucose monitors(CGM) generate a lot of complex data. This study gives detailed information on statics and analytics of CGM. The following are a few statistics to know that are interpreted from CGMs.

Mean blood glucose values - the mean glucose value shows the level of glycemic control in the blood. 

• The normal range for diabetics is 70 - 180 mg/dL 
• The normal range for non-diabetics is 90 - 110 mg/dL

Blood glucose interquartile range - this is a statistic plotted on the graph. It is a measure that represents where the middle fifty fall on the total data set. For diabetes, this value falls between 40 to 200. It classifies people whose values are above 200 as outliers. 40 is the minimum value recorded by CGM.

Standard deviation(SD) of blood glucose values - SD is a statistic that shows how the data is spread overall. Calculating SD of glucose values over a long time is not recommended. 

Percentage of time in the range (TIR) - It is a statistic that calculates how long the person has maintained a normal blood glucose level. The higher the value of TIR, the better.

Glucose trace - it is a simple graph of glucose levels over time. It shows if there are any fluctuations.

Poincare plot - this statistic makes it easy to visualize any changes due to treatment.

Control variable grid analysis (CVGA) - another important tool to see the overall control of blood glucose levels

What is Big Data and how is it changing Diabetes Management?

Big data, in short, means a collection of an enormous amount of data from various sources that is put through a data processing system that has algorithms to analyze it and reveal underlying patterns and trends. In the healthcare system, big data will help diagnose faster, and identify which treatment is better suitable. 

For diabetes, the value of big data is enormous. Data for diabetes is collected from different measuring devices like glucometers, wearable devices, exercise equipment, etc. All this data is interpreted and aggregated into information that will enable doctors and patients to take better actions. It can be a game-changer for diabetes management. This technology is still at its early stages. But still, the future for diabetes management is very bright. Know more about best medicine for diabetes in India.

How to improve Diabetes treatments and outcomes with insights from data?

The data is most useful for people at risk of adverse effects from diabetes. It can provide information on the different therapies, behavioral changes, and cost-effectiveness of the treatments. This information provides insight on the outcome for diabetic patients, people who are at risk for diabetes, and healthcare professionals. Then they can use this for better diabetes management. 

Most of the information about current treatment plans comes from traditional clinical trials. Even though there are many studies about the effectiveness of various diabetes medications, the pool of people included in them does not represent everyone. In contrast, real-world data provides much more information on aspects of care and management. The size and scope of this are much higher. The data not only provides information on current diabetic patients but also on treatment outcomes. Also read about can diabetes be cured.

Is there a Roadmap to Better Management of Diabetes?

There is tremendous growth in data collections in the past few years. For diabetes, the main purpose of this data is to provide better outcomes. There has been enormous growth in technology and studies for diabetes, but the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes is rising. Even though better treatment and technology already exist, it is available to only a few people. Most don't have access to all this technology yet. Studies have shown that even though the rate of diabetes is getting worse, people who have access to technology are doing much better.

In the future, this data should provide better solutions for diabetic patients. Every individual should have a proactive and personalized treatment plan. Everyone should have access to all the available technology. All these components of the data should provide easy solutions and ease the burden.

To know more about diabetes and how to reverse it, click here.

FAQs

Why is self-care important with diabetes? 

Diabetes can lead to severe complications when left unattended but managing to control your sugar levels can make you less prone to these complications. This makes it necessary for any individual to be disciplined in their approach to managing diabetes. Having a proper self-care routine that involves intake of a good diet, exercising daily, having good mental health and sleep routine, etc. can boost your process of controlling sugar levels eventually leading to a fit and healthier life. 

‍Can a person self heal diabetes?

If you have detected diabetes at an early stage then type 2 diabetes mellitus could be self-healed by following a good action plan that involves proper diet, daily exercise, etc. However, type 1 cannot be self-healed, you need to take medications to control your sugar levels. Added to that chronic type 2 diabetes also would make you dependent on medications to manage sugar levels. Although if a person indulges in self-care to heal diabetes then he can reduce the risk of severe repercussions to a larger extent. Also know about ayurvedic medicine for diabetes.

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