Diabetes mellitus is one of the serious diseases that develops as a result of a lack of production of the hormone insulin. Such pathology leads to disruption of the work of many organs and systems, which in the end puts the threat of death.
Chronic infringement of all kinds of a metabolism including, leads to diabetic angiopathy which consists in the generalized defeat of small and large blood vessels. In this case, the homeostasis is broken and the walls of the vessels are damaged.
This process in the body of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, in 90% of cases leads to damage to the vessels of the mesh shell of the eyeball. He, as a kind of diabetic microangiopathy, is called "diabetic retinopathy", which is one of the most severe forms of the pathological process in the vessels.
Symptoms and causes of diabetic retinopathy
The disease manifests itself with prolonged diabetes mellitus , but rapid detection of the disease allows for measures to be taken and the patient's condition to be compromised in the future, a violation of visual functions in diabetes mellitus is one of the disabling factors.
In the case of diabetic retinopathy, there is a high risk of blindness, which occurs 25 times more often in diabetic patients than in people without diabetes mellitus.
Among the main causes of diabetic retinopathy are two:
- hyperglycemia - increase in glucose in blood content;
- immune factor.
First of all, the source of pathology is a violation of microcirculation. The hemato-retinal barrier, which is necessary to protect retinal tissue from large molecules from blood vessels, does not fulfill its functions, becoming permeable, and the result is the ingress of unwanted substances into the retina.
The order of symptoms of the disease is as follows:
- Vasodilation.
- Increased blood flow.
- Defeat of a layer of flat cells of mesenchymal origin.
- Capping of capillaries.
- Increase in permeability.
- The emergence of arteriovenous shunts.
- Pathological proliferation of blood vessels.
- Hemorrhage.
- Degeneration - the visual functions disappear.
During the implementation of the chain of these processes, the patient observes a decrease in visual acuity, which is a sign of neglect of the disease. Only 2% of patients have a 100% lack of vision.
Stages of diabetic retinopathy
- Non-selective diabetic retinopathy (stage 1) - the patient has microaneurysms and hemorrhages localized in the center of the fundus. In this case, retinal edema is observed along the course of large vessels or in the center.
- Pre-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (stage 2) - the patient has solid exudates and microvascular, as well as venous anomalies.
- Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (stage 3) - the disc of the optic nerve becomes covered with blood vessels, hemorrhages occur in the vitreous. New vessels have thin walls, and this leads to even more hemorrhages, which provoke detachment of the retina.
Treatment of diabetic retinopathy
Treatment of the disease is carried out under the supervision of two specialists - the endocrinologist and ophthalmologist.
Medication for diabetic retinopathy
Among the medicines in the treatment of the disease, vitamin complexes are used, since a metabolic disorder that provoked diabetic retinopathy is accompanied by a shortage of vitamins and microelements.
Assign a complex of vitamin B, as well as P, C and E. The last three vitamins are prescribed by the course in 1 month 4 times a year. Also used are angioprotectors, normalizing the vascular system:
- Protein;
- Diet;
- Doxium.
Stage 3 shows the use of laser photocoagulation.
Treatment of folk remedies for diabetic retinopathy
Since the cause of diabetic retinopathy in the disturbed metabolism , it means that the most reasonable and optimal folk remedy for its treatment will be compliance with the diet.
Fats are desirable to limit, but sugar, jam, candy - any easily digestible carbohydrates - you need to exclude.
Together with this, it is necessary to increase the consumption of fish, cottage cheese and oatmeal, which contain lipotropic substances.