What is diabetes?
When your body has trouble regulating the amount of sugar in your blood, diabetes is the most likely culprit. There are a few different kinds of diabetes, but all of them lead to an excess amount of sugar in your blood, which can result in severe health issues.
Diabetes is categorized into two types: type 1 diabetes, which occurs when your immune system attacks your insulin-producing cells; and type 2 diabetes, which occurs when your pancreas can’t keep up with a growing cell resistance to insulin.
Who gets diabetes?
Genetics plays a major role in whether you’re susceptible to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but there are a few environmental and lifestyle factors that can also increase your risk. These additional factors differ based on diabetes type.
Type 1 diabetes
Aside from genetics, it’s thought that exposure to certain kinds of viral illnesses increases your type 1 diabetes risk.
Type 2 diabetes
Unlike type 1 diabetes, there are quite a few additional factors that can increase your risk for this type of diabetes. Those factors include:
- You are overweight
- You are not physically active
- You are Hispanic, black, Asian-American, or American Indian
- You have high blood pressure
- You have low levels of good cholesterol
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Your diabetes symptoms and their severity depend on your blood sugar levels, and not all people with diabetes will necessarily experience the same symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms you can expect include:
- Fatigue
- Slow-healing sores
- Greatly increased thirst or hunger
- Blurred vision
- Frequent urination
- Frequent infections
How is diabetes treated?
No matter which type of diabetes you have, blood sugar monitoring along with insulin or other types of diabetes medications are the most common treatment option. Insulin injections help increase the amount of insulin in your body, so you can adequately regulate blood sugar levels.
Depending on your specific circumstances, Dr. Maribao may also recommend dietary changes and physical exercise for your treatment plan. A balanced diet and regular exercise can naturally lower your blood sugar levels, making you less reliant on diabetes medications, so make sure you discuss a plan with Dr. Maribao if this sounds ideal for you.
Are you ready to get your diabetes under control? Call Dr. Maribao in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, or schedule your consultation online.
