Padma Shree Award, author of the book “Diabetes with Delight.”
A totally complacent patient came to my clinic recently with a very altered mood. His fasting blood sugar was ~ 300 mg / dl (markedly uncontrolled). He said in an emotional tone; “Doc. Such high sugars never happened before Covid-19, and I only had a mild illness. “
This is a first scenario often repeated these days. A second scenario is new-onset diabetes during COVID-19 infection in people who previously did not have diabetes. This can happen more often after severe COVID-19, but it can also happen with a mild illness. A third scenario is people with post-Covid-19 syndrome (“Long COVID”) who have high sugar values. Finally, people with diabetes, or even prediabetes, are likely to have severe COVID-19.
Factors that act against the pancreas (which controls blood sugar) are severe Covid-19 attacks on this organ, toxic substances generated by COVID19 (“Cytokine Storm”), marked mental stress, and steroid use, for example. to name a few. COVID-19 seems to be discovering a great tendency of Indians to diabetes. Overall, we are seeing more patients with uncontrolled sugar now than ever before, and these patients present with various complications of diabetes.
In the current era, many patients suffer from post-COVID-19 syndrome where fatigue, headache, muscle aches, muscle aches, lack of concentration, memory loss, alone or in combination can occur. This syndrome can be extremely debilitating and can take several months to resolve. In this situation, stress and poor body physiology could lead to an increase in blood sugar levels. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes suffer from prolonged and severe fatigue after COVID-19, shows our recent research. In these patients, muscle wilting is prominently observed and performing daily activities appears to be a significant load.
Who are the people most likely to develop diabetes during this time (or, therefore, at any time)? Those who are obese, have a poor fitness and lifestyle, have a strong family history of diabetes and those who have hypertension, cholesterol disorders and heart disease. Women are especially susceptible if they have a history of high sugar during pregnancy or are postmenopausal, obese and sedentary.
Be alert and have your blood sugar (and blood pressure checked) as soon as possible if you fall into the categories mentioned above. Maintain a disciplined lifestyle with daily exercise. A few patients told me that they could not exercise due to the restrictions related to COVID-19, and this caused them to have a high blood sugar level. I tell them the story of an overweight patient, who during the pandemic was locked in a single room, but managed to lose weight by doing resistance and endurance exercises to a large extent, as he has “too much time”.
Always talk to your doctor for advice. Those with diabetes should continue to take medication and, when blood sugar rises, increase medication according to the tips. In postcovid syndrome, maintenance of nutrition (vitamins such as B12 and D, and good protein diets) is especially important. Nutritional supplements are sometimes required, especially in the elderly. Gradual physical rehabilitation with graduated physical activities helps. Muscle strength gain is fastest when blood sugar and blood pressure are under control. Above all, keep your mind engaged in a positive way, and any type of meditation can relieve altered body physiology.