What is diabetes? A basic guide (in Hindi)

Summary

This long talk is in Hindi, with some English medical terms. Dr. Om gives a complete beginner’s introduction to diabetes.

He starts by clearing up a common confusion: diabetes mellitus, the sugar disease, is completely different from diabetes insipidus, a rare condition of the pituitary gland or kidneys. He then explains how diabetes and prediabetes are diagnosed using fasting sugar, the two-hour sugar after a glucose drink, HbA1c and random sugar with symptoms.

The talk covers the main types: type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition that is commonest in children but can appear at any age; type 2 diabetes, the commonest form in adults; gestational diabetes in pregnancy; and other less common types. Using the example of a factory, he explains that in type 2 diabetes the pancreas makes less insulin and the insulin it makes does not work as well.

He lists symptoms that should prompt a test, such as thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and genital itching, and the basic tests every person with diabetes should have, including HbA1c, kidney tests and a cholesterol profile. He explains how diabetes affects the kidneys, heart, nerves, feet and eyes, recommends regular urine albumin tests, foot care and avoiding walking barefoot, and explains that sugar below 70 mg/dL is low and needs prompt treatment.

Recorded when Dr. Om worked at a previous hospital; he now practises at AB Plus Hospital.

Read more about normal blood sugar levels and the HbA1c test.