Diabetes

Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body does not respond appropriately to insulin. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy. 

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 If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

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Dr Neda Motameni and her staff would be monitoring your indicators and provide you a continues care to manage your Diabetes.

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Diabetes Q & A

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which your body doesn’t make or use the hormone insulin correctly. Insulin is used by the body to manage blood sugar levels, but when there is a lack of the hormone or if your body can’t use it for some reason, it causes too much blood sugar to build up in your blood.

Over time, elevated blood sugar levels can lead to complications, some of them life-threatening.

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What are the different types of diabetes?

There are three different types of diabetes, all of which result in unregulated blood sugar levels:

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Type 1 Diabetes
If you have Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, your body has little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune disease, where your body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. It’s most commonly diagnosed in children but can appear in adults as well.

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Type 2 Diabetes
If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body is producing insulin but for some reason, your cells don’t use it as they should. While the pancreas compensates at first by increasing insulin production, blood sugar levels soon build up into unmanageable levels, causing Type 2 diabetes.

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Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only develops during pregnancy and usually goes away after childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within 15 years.

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The exact cause of diabetes is unclear, but it’s usually attributed to a combination of factors like weight, physical health, genetics, and more. Gestational diabetes is thought to be caused by the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, as well as genetic and lifestyle factors.

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What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Depending on what type of diabetes you have, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Frequent urination, especially at night
Constant thirst
Weight loss
Frequent hunger
Blurry vision
Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
Constant fatigue
Diabetes symptoms can often develop over several years or go unnoticed until they’re very severe. It’s important to get regular checkups at Internal Medicine Practice in order to detect any early signs of diabetes using a blood sugar test so you can start treatment right away.

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How is diabetes treated?

Depending on the type of diabetes you have, Dr. Motameni prescribes the appropriate treatment for you. Managing your diabetes can include:

Diet
Exercise
Monitoring blood sugar levels
Monitoring insulin levels
Oral medication

Dr. Motameni and her team discuss how often you should check your blood sugar and what your target blood sugar levels should be. Keeping these levels in check is key to preventing or delaying further diabetes-related complications.

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Call Internal Medicine Practice or schedule an appointment online today to have your blood sugar levels checked and get your Diabetes under control.

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