Diabetes is a chronic condition that impairs the ability of your body to process blood glucose. Your body has the hormone insulin that moves sugar from the blood into the cells for storage or conversion to produce energy. Bastrop diabetes occurs when your body does not make enough insulin or cannot efficiently use the insulin it makes. If left untreated, it can damage your nerves, eyes, kidneys, heart, and eyes. However, you can manage and prevent diabetes through healthy eating, regular exercise, weight control, and taking prescribed medication.
Types
Type 1 diabetes: This form of diabetes is an autoimmune problem where the body attacks itself. It affects about ten percent of people with diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are damaged. You can develop this condition at any age, but it is commonly diagnosed in children and young adults. When you have Type 1 diabetes, your doctor recommends you take insulin every day.
Type 2 diabetes: Also known as adult-onset diabetes or insulin-resistant diabetes. In this form of diabetes, your body does not make enough insulin, or your body’s cells do not usually respond to the insulin. It is the most common type of diabetes, affecting about ninety-five percent of patients with diabetes. It affects middle-aged and older adults.
Prediabetes: This kind is the stage before Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes happens when your blood glucose levels are higher than average but not high enough to be diagnosed.
Gestational diabetes: This type can develop in women during pregnancy. It will go away after giving birth. Unfortunately, you are at a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes once you get gestational diabetes.
Monogenic diabetes syndromes: They are rare inherited types of diabetes affecting about four percent of all diabetic patients. Neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young are some of the monogenic diabetes syndromes.
Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes: This form of diabetes develops if you have cystic fibrosis.
Symptoms
Each type of diabetes has its symptoms, but there are common ones. These include increased thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent urination, dry mouth, numbness or tingling in your feet, slow-healing cuts, and weight loss.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will diagnose diabetes by checking your glucose level in a blood test. The tests used include:
Fasting plasma glucose test: Doctors recommend doing the test in the morning after eight hours of eating or drinking anything.
Random plasma glucose test: The test is done anytime without any need to fast.
A1c test: Also called glycated hemoglobin test. It shows the average blood glucose level for the past two to three months. A1c test measures the amount of glucose attached to the hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your body.
Oral glucose tolerance test: This test involves measuring blood glucose level after an overnight fast, and then you take a sugary drink. Your doctor will check your blood glucose level three times at one-hour intervals.
Diabetes symptoms at first can be mild, so challenging to spot. It is therefore essential to check your blood glucose levels regularly. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Chavez at Pompeyo C Chavez, MD, for diabetes treatment and learn how to manage it.
