DIABETES IN PREGNANCY

Diabetes in Pregnancy

Diabetes in Pregnancy

Introduction

The onset of diabetes during pregnancy is a condition when the body of a pregnant woman is not sufficiently able to use up the carbohydrates from the food to produce energy. As a result there is an increase in the blood sugar level. In other words it is the degree of intolerance of glucose with its onset during the period of pregnancy. The occurrence of gestational diabetes is still unclear but it is a common belief that the most of the women who develop gestational diabetes are either overweight before pregnancy or have a family history of diabetes. Diabetes is notorious to complicate the pregnancy cases by 14%. The precipitating factor of diabetes is poor metabolic regulation of glucose in body.

The hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are the two conditions of diabetes that may occur during the pregnancy. Any treatment aimed at the treatment of diabetes should focus on the achieving Normoglycemia (Novak, 2004, pp. 11). In order to minimize the risk of lethal malfunctions it is advisable to keep a standard pace in care and treatment of pregnant women (NHS, 2013). Among all the other adverse effects, the most alarming is the risk that is posed on the health and well-being of the child.

Discussion

Critical Appraisal

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Clinical Guidelines 63 on Diabetes in pregnancy has been developed by National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health. It is focused on the treatment and care for the pregnant who are either vulnerable or are already diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The subject of the study is residents of England and Wales. The treatment and management guidelines are based on three categories with the priority levels. The categories are

Pre-conception care- This is for the women with diabetes who are planning to get pregnant.

Antenatal care- This is the care guideline aimed for diabetic women already pregnant

Neonatal care- The treatment required immediately after the birth is mentioned in this section

Postnatal- A maintenance of lifestyle and diet for the neonatal phase is explained (NICE, 2008).

Significance of Diabetes and Types

Diabetes Mellitus is a collective series of anabolic and catabolic disorders characterized by the onset of glucose metabolism impairment. As a result there is a defect in the insulin secretion. This causes elevated level of glucose in blood (Loghmani, 2005, pp. 170). Diabetes mellitus can cause metabolic issues such as retinopathy, nephropathy, renal impairment, neuropathy, etc. Diabetic patients are timely checked for these symptoms. One the most common sign of diabetes is slow healing of wound which may lead to diabetic foot. The second most common sign of diabetes is the vision impairment. Diabetic patients gradually lose the strength of their sight.

There are essentially three types of diabetes as discussed below

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the annihilation of beta (ß) cells in Pancreas. This type of diabetes can be presented at any age but is usually observed at early childhood. For the treatment of Type 1 diabetes it is necessary ...