What is diabetes?
Diabetes isn’t just one disease, but several diseases that affect how you regulate sugar in your blood. The bottom line across all types of the chronic condition is that you’re left with too much sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream, which can build up dangerously and lead to a number of complications.
What are the types of diabetes?
The main types of diabetes include:
Type 1 diabetes
This form of the disease is thought to happen when your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that are responsible for producing insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. With Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin (sometimes none at all), leaving glucose to build up in your blood.
Type 2 diabetes
In this version of diabetes, you build up a resistance to the insulin your body produces, leaving it unable to make enough to overcome this deficiency.
There are other versions of diabetes, such as gestational diabetes, but Types 1 and 2 represent most of the diagnoses.
At Charis Medical Center, Dr. Akamangwa has extensive experience treating and managing Types 1 and 2 diabetes and even offers expert counsel for patients who have prediabetes to help them prevent the diagnosis in the first place.
What are the complications of diabetes?
As a disease, diabetes is a moving target because of its systemic effect on your body. Diabetes can bring on numerous, and very serious, health complications, including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Nerve damage
- Hearing and sight loss
- Kidney damage
The key to managing diabetes is to approach the condition proactively, taking the necessary steps to avoid these complications.
How is diabetes treated?
There’s no cure for diabetes, but Charis Medical Center can help you manage the condition. Depending upon which type of diabetes you have, Dr. Akamangwa works with you to regulate your blood sugar levels, first and foremost. This may include:
- Insulin delivery
- Nutritional counseling
- Lifestyle changes, such as more exercise and prayer
- Weight loss (especially for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes)
Once Dr. Akamangwa helps you get a better handle on your blood sugar levels, he monitors you closely, watching out for the first signs of any of the complications listed above.
For expert and holistic management of your diabetes, call Charis Medical Center or request an appointment online today.
