Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that develops because your body has a problem with a hormone called insulin.

Insulin is responsible for regulating blood sugar and is a vital mechanism for good health. High blood sugar can cause debilitating health problems, and untreated diabetes can lead to life-altering and potentially deadly complications.

There are several different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes begins when you’re young and is due to an autoimmune disorder. Your immune system, which you expect to protect you, attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. Without these cells, your body can’t make any insulin at all. That means you need to take insulin for the rest of your life.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes generally develops at a later age, either because your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin or it can’t use the insulin it’s making.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which isn’t preventable, type 2 diabetes almost always is preventable. The insulin problem stems from poor lifestyle choices, primarily being overweight or obese. Lack of exercise, smoking, poor diet, and drinking too much alcohol all increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

At first, diabetes doesn’t cause any symptoms, and when they do start, they come on so gradually that you might not realize there’s anything wrong. As type 2 diabetes typically begins in middle age or later life, you might put symptoms like tiredness and the need to urinate more frequently down to your age.

By the time you feel sick enough to realize there’s something wrong, your diabetes has already caused serious damage. However, if you get screened for diabetes regularly, the team at MPA Direct Primary Care can detect the early signs of diabetes.

This early stage, called prediabetes, is when your blood sugar is high but still reversible. If you take action when you have prediabetes, you can avoid the dangers of having type 2 diabetes.

What treatments are there for type 2 diabetes?

Treating type 2 diabetes focuses on making changes to your lifestyle and quitting bad habits. The team at MPA Direct Primary Care can help you succeed in making changes, such as:

• Losing weight
• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Managing stress
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing alcohol consumption

If you take these steps when you have prediabetes, you can avoid the dangers of having type 2 diabetes, which includes heart problems, blindness, vascular disorders, and kidney problems. Type 1 and 2 diabetes can also both cause leg ulcers, which might lead to amputation.

Some patients need to take medications or use insulin to treat their type 2 diabetes. You also need to visit with the MPA Direct Primary Care team for regular check-ups.

To arrange a simple diabetes screening test, call MPA Direct Primary Care, or request an appointment online today.