diabetes and exercise

[vashtee, RN]

Does anyone know about exercise recommendations for patients with late stage complications of diabetes? I know exercise is good earlier on, but doesn't the increase in blood pressure worsen retinopathy (for example) and perhaps cause bleeding? Are there other considerations for late-stage diabetics?

Thanks for your help.

[country mom]

Try the American Diabetes Association website, www.diabetes.org

The diabetes care team, including the physician and the diabetes educator can often prove helpful in making specific recommendation for patients with diabetes-related complications.

[beautifulblair]

thank you for posting

[vashtee, RN]

Try the American Diabetes Association website, www.diabetes.org

The diabetes care team, including the physician and the diabetes educator can often prove helpful in making specific recommendation for patients with diabetes-related complications.

Thanks, but that website really only tells you to check with your doctor to see what is safe. What I am trying to find out is whether or not exercising could worsen advanced symptoms. My med-surg book promotes exercise, but doesn't specifically address potential complications with advanced disease.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I would imagine that it is a highly individualized thing, but that in general, activity that is tolerated well (ie with no large increases in heart rate, blood pressure, SOB, etc.) would be of benefit, while over exercising to the point of exertional SOB, fatigue, dizziness, increased HR & BP would be what you're thinking of. Of course, this is not an evidence based opinion, just my observations working in an acute care unit where we see tons of people with longstanding DM.

[country mom]

If you go into the Professional Section of the American Diabetes Association website, you will find their standards of clinical practice. The specific recommendations depend on the type of complication that is encountered. i.e. A patient with advanced retinopathy may be restricted from doing certain types of exercise such as weight lifting, that can increase intraocular pressure. If a Type I patient has an uncontrolled high blood glucose and is spilling ketones in the urine, then it's generally recommended that the pt. not exercise until the glucose is controlled. A patient with cardiac complications usually needs medical clearance, to determine the safety of exercise. So, you see, it very much depends on the patient, the type of exercise they are seeking, and the complications that they are experiencing. There is quite of bit of literature out there on exercise and diabetes, if you are doing research for school. Medscape, the ADA website, and the AADE website usually turn up helpful articles when I'm doing a lit search on DM.

[vashtee, RN]

Wow, thanks mom! and virgo, too.