What causes diabetes?
Diabetes develops when your body doesn’t produce insulin, or it can’t use insulin properly. Insulin is responsible for maintaining normal blood sugar levels, a job it does by carrying sugar to cells that need energy, and by sending excess sugar into storage in the form of fat.
All types of diabetes occur when an insulin problem leads to high blood sugar levels. However, each type has a different cause:
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system attacks your pancreas, causing damage that permanently stops the pancreas from producing insulin. This type of diabetes most often occurs in children and teens, but it can appear at any age.
Type 2 diabetes
Your pancreas still produces insulin, but you develop insulin resistance, a condition in which cells don’t respond to insulin and can’t take in enough sugar. As a result, your blood sugar stays high. Type 2 diabetes diagnosis typically occurs in adults, but it may also develop in children and teens.
Gestational diabetes
Some women develop type 2 diabetes for the first time when they become pregnant. In most cases, their blood sugar returns to normal after delivery, but their risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the future is higher.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet high enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes. At this stage, you can prevent full-blown diabetes with lifestyle changes to restore normal blood sugar levels, such as weight loss.
What symptoms and complications develop due to diabetes?
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause symptoms such as:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Blurry vision
- Excessive hunger
- Unexplained weight loss
- Dry, itchy skin
- Slow-healing sores
- Tingling in your feet
When your blood sugar stays too high, it damages nerves and small blood vessels. This damage causes complications such as foot ulcers, vision loss, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease.
How is diabetes treated?
After diabetes develops, it lasts a lifetime because there’s currently no cure. To keep your blood sugar within the normal range, you need:
Lifestyle changes
All patients with diabetes need to limit the amount and type of carbohydrates they consume. Living Water Clinic offers nutritional education and helps you develop healthy meal plans. Losing weight and getting exercise also lower your blood sugar.
Medications
Patients with type 1 diabetes must take insulin and carefully monitor their blood sugar levels. Patients with type 2 diabetes may need insulin or other medications to control blood sugar.
Your provider stays in contact, so they can monitor your health and answer any questions you may have. In addition to staying accessible for patients, Living Water Clinic:
- Provides onsite testing for hemoglobin A1c
- Offers chronic care management with 24/7 telephone access
- Quickly refers you to specialists such as a podiatrist, endocrinologist, or ophthalmologist
- Offers weight loss management when needed
- Provides convenient appointments via telemedicine
- Schedules routine follow-up appointments
If you have symptoms of diabetes or you’re already diagnosed with the condition and need ongoing management, call Living Water Community Health and Wellness Clinic, or book an appointment online today. Walk-ins are also welcome.
