Diabetes and Disability

Grounds for disability | Severity | Disability groups | How disability is established


Much has been said about diabetes. It is an incurable disease. It’s a way of life. But what is the lifestyle with an incurable disease?

Diabetes requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, adherence to a “rigid” diet, periodic injections of insulin or taking pills.

It is also very important to avoid stressful situations, because stress provokes surges in sugar.

In order to prevent the manifestation of various complications, it is necessary to visit a variety of doctors. And there are many more different nuances … And if the disease has already caused irreversible consequences?

Therefore, many are interested in such a question as disability in diabetes. Is it possible with diabetes mellitus? How to register for diabetes? The criteria on the basis of which a disability group is assigned. What rights and benefits does a disabled person have?

You will find answers to these questions by reading this article.


Grounds for disability

The presence of a disease — diabetes mellitus — on its own is not an indication for disability.

The reason for this is the presence of complications that disrupt the functions of organs, deprive a person of working capacity, thereby reducing the quality of his life.

That is, it does not matter what type of diabetes a person has, only the severity of the complications caused by the disease matters.

The situation is a little different with children who are diagnosed with this disease.

And depending on the severity of complications, a person is assigned a specific disability group.


Severity

The severity is assessed based on the clinical picture, the state of diabetes compensation, the presence of acute and late complications.

The mild severity of the disease includes:

  • lack of ketosis;
  • one diet is enough to compensate for diabetes;
  • fasting sugar up to 7.5 mmol / l:
  • the initial manifestations of angiopathy — vascular damage;
  • transient neuropathy;
  • nephropathy 1 degree.

They are assessed as minor and do not lead to limitation of life.

Moderate severity includes:

  • ketosis without precoma and coma;
  • fasting sugar up to 14 mmol / l;
  • retinopathy 1-2 degrees;
  • nephropathy 2-4 degrees;
  • peripheral neuropathy without pain syndrome and trophic ulcers;

Decreased efficiency, sometimes the ability to move. The rest of the categories of life are not disturbed.

To determine the severe course of diabetes, the following criteria are distinguished:

  • frequent ketosis and a tendency to coma;
  • fasting sugar level above 14 mmol / l;
  • retinopathy 2-3 degrees;
  • nephropathy 4-5 degrees;
  • gangrene of the legs;
  • neuropathy;
  • encephalopathy.

A pronounced violation of the whole organism is determined, leading to a limitation of the ability to work, independent movement and self-service.


Disability groups

So, the first group is assigned to a person with severe diabetes. This is absolute blindness in both eyes, the need for dialysis — artificial cleansing of the kidney, acute heart failure, paralysis, severe encephalopathy, gangrene or amputation, persistent glycemic coma.

In fact, this group of disabilities is given when a person is not able to serve himself. And he needs constant care and protection from others.

The second is of moderate severity. And the third — with mild complications.

Children with diabetes receive a group, regardless of complications, up to 18 years of age. After the child reaches 18 years of age, if there are improvements, the disabled status can be withdrawn.


How disability is established

In order to understand whether disability is necessary in diabetes mellitus, you need to go through a series of steps:

contact a therapist at the patient’s place of residence and get a referral for examination, possibly in a hospital setting;

based on the results of the examination, the doctor decides to send the patient for further testing and gives him a document stating the issue;

for the commission it is necessary to collect the following documents:

  • application of a citizen applying for a disability;
  • identity document;
  • referral from a doctor for examination, received at stage 2;
  • patient’s medical record;
  • documents on the existing education.
  • members of the commission, consider these documents, examine the patient and decide to assign the patient to a disability group or not.

Disabled status is assigned to a patient for a certain period, more often for 1 year.

At the end of this period, you will need to do all this from the very beginning. Then independent experts can decide to withdraw or renew this status.

Re-examination will need to take place once every 2 years for disabled people of 1-2 groups, once a year — for group 3.