What causes diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease that causes high blood sugar. Your blood sugar naturally rises after eating carbohydrates. Then your pancreas releases insulin to restore normal sugar levels. You develop diabetes when your pancreas can’t produce insulin or the insulin can’t clear extra sugar out of your bloodstream.
Are there different types of diabetes?
Yes. There are two primary types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes develops when an autoimmune disorder attacks and damages the pancreas. As a result, it can’t produce insulin. This type most often occurs in children and teens.
Type 2 diabetes
Insulin eliminates excess blood sugar by carrying it into cells that use the sugar for energy. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells stop responding to insulin. This condition is called insulin resistance. Your pancreas still produces insulin, but insulin can’t do its job. This type usually appears in adults because it develops slowly over many years. However, it’s increasingly being diagnosed in teens and young adults.
What symptoms does diabetes cause?
No matter which type of diabetes you have, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Excessive thirst
- Increased hunger
- Dry, itchy skin
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
In advanced stages, you may experience numbness or tingling in your feet.
What complications does diabetes cause?
High blood sugar damages small blood vessels and nerves. As a result, uncontrolled diabetes significantly increases your risk of developing:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Peripheral nerve damage
- Peripheral artery disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetic retinopathy
These conditions lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, vision loss, and foot amputations.
How is diabetes treated?
Diabetes treatment focuses on keeping your blood sugar within the normal range. As an internal medicine provider, Prime Physicians offers comprehensive diabetes care, including:
- Diabetes education
- Diet and nutrition planning
- Weight loss management
- Medication management
- Insulin pumps
- Continuous glucose monitoring
- Remote patient monitoring
Everyone with diabetes needs to follow a balanced diet focused on monitoring carbohydrates. Getting regular exercise also helps lower your blood sugar. Making these changes may be enough to control blood sugar levels, but if not, you need medication.
People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you may need insulin, but your treatment typically begins with other sugar-lowering medications.
You can stay healthy and enjoy a long life with diabetes care from the team of experts at Prime Physicians. Call the office to schedule an appointment, or request one online today.
