Diabetes Specialist

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that prevents your body from either producing enough insulin or from using insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas that regulates your blood sugar and helps convert it into energy. There are three primary types of diabetes.

Type 1

Type 1 diabetes is less common but more severe. When you have Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to effectively control your blood sugar levels. It’s typically diagnosed in childhood, which is the origin of the term juvenile diabetes.

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes is more common and is sometimes referred to as insulin resistance. Your body produces insulin but it is unable to regulate your blood sugar effectively.

Gestational

Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy, usually after your 20th week. It’s believed that the increase of hormones produced by the placenta to support your baby’s growth can depress your normal insulin production.

How is diabetes treated?

The doctors at Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven treat diabetes with customized advice for diet and exercise and prescription medication. Often following a low-sugar and low-carb diet and adding moderate exercise to your daily habits — like a brisk walk after your meals — can help control and lower your blood sugar levels. If you have Type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin to make up for what your body isn’t producing.

What are signs and symptoms of diabetes?

Diabetes causes a variety of symptoms including:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent need to urinate
• Fatigue
• Numbness in your hands or feet
• Sores and wounds are slow to heal
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Unexplained weight loss

You might not notice or experience any symptoms, and the only way to know for sure that you have diabetes is to have your glucose levels checked at your annual physical as part of a normal blood panel.

While Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in childhood and has strong hereditary links, Type 2 diabetes has strong links with being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle. When you are overweight, your body’s functionality can decrease, leading to insulin resistance. Also, exercise is shown to improve your body’s use of insulin, so when you don’t move enough, your body may stop using your insulin correctly.

If you’re concerned about diabetes, call or schedule an appointment online today at Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven for diagnosis and treatment.