Diabetes Prevention

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What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a collection of diseases that affect your metabolic system. The condition causes your blood sugar, or glucose levels, to remain chronically high, which can damage your overall health.

Your body creates glucose from the foods you eat. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps shuttle glucose into cells to be used for energy. When you have diabetes, you either don’t produce insulin or the insulin you do produce isn’t used properly, and as a result, your blood sugar levels stay high.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease usually diagnosed in youth. Your immune system falters and attacks cells in your pancreas that produce insulin.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use what you do make properly, causing insulin resistance. Usually diagnosed in middle or older age, younger people are increasingly being diagnosed with the condition.

Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women. It has many of the same characteristics as type 2 diabetes but usually resolves after your baby is born. It does put you and your child at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Another condition known as prediabetes causes your blood sugar levels to remain high, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. If you have untreated prediabetes, you are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

What are the common symptoms of diabetes?

Chronically high blood sugar levels can lead to serious symptoms. Symptoms usually appear quickly if you have type 1 diabetes, but may be more subtle and gradual in people with type 2 diabetes.

They include:

• Blurry vision
• Chronic fatigue
• Mood changes
• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst and hunger

Many with diabetes also find that open wounds and sores are slow to heal. Men can experience erectile dysfunction, while women can develop more frequent urinary tract and yeast infections.

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important to get checked out immediately. Untreated diabetes can lead to major complications, including kidney disease, nerve damage, and heart disease.

What diabetes treatments are available?

Daily insulin therapy through at-home injections or an insulin pump will likely be necessary if you have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with lifestyle changes, such as improved diet, exercise, quitting smoking, and weight loss. If a healthier lifestyle isn’t effective at controlling your blood sugar, your medical team at Southwest Family Physicians will find you the proper medication regimen to improve your condition.

For those with prediabetes, prevention usually requires some lifestyle changes. The weight loss team at Southwest Family Physicians can help you achieve your weight goals through group classes, coaching, counseling, and medical visits.

Schedule a diabetes evaluation at Southwest Family Physicians online or by phone to prevent long-term health complications.

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