Diabetes Specialist

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when your body can’t sufficiently control blood sugar on its own. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make the hormone insulin, which is necessary to move sugar from your blood into cells within the body. Type 1 diabetes often occurs during childhood.

Alternatively, type 2 diabetes occurs when your body makes insulin but can’t use it properly. It’s more common in people over 40.

Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy, and pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs before developing diabetes when your blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diabetes.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

If you have one or more of the following symptoms, you might have diabetes:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Extreme hunger
• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Slow-healing sores
• Blurred vision
• Frequent gum, vaginal, or skin infections

You might not experience any symptoms in the beginning stages of diabetes, which is why routine screening is so important if you're at risk.

What are the risk factors for diabetes?

Anybody can develop diabetes at any age, but the following factors increase your risk of getting the disease:

• Family history of diabetes
• Environmental factors
• Older age
• Being overweight
• Lack of exercise
• Being African American, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian
• A history of gestational diabetes
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• High triglyceride levels
• Having polycystic ovary syndrome

If left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart or kidney problems, nerve damage, eye damage, skin conditions, feet problems, hearing issues, depression, or dementia. Dr. Zaidi diagnoses diabetes using a simple blood test called Hemoglobin A1C.

How is diabetes treated?

Dr. Zaidi and his team develop a personalized diabetes treatment plan based on the type of diabetes you have. He might recommend:

Medications

Taking oral diabetes medicines helps control blood sugar to prevent diabetes complications.

Insulin injections

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Dr. Zaidi might recommend insulin injections to replace the insulin your body isn't producing.

Lifestyle changes

Making healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, consuming a nutritious diet, and getting regular exercise, helps control diabetes, or can prevent it from occurring altogether. Dr. Zaidi creates a personalized diet and exercise plan just for you.

Diabetes monitoring

Routine blood sugar monitoring helps ensure your treatment works properly to prevent complications associated with diabetes. See Dr. Zaidi during regularly scheduled appointments and check your blood sugar at home often.

Don’t succumb to health problems resulting from uncontrolled diabetes when simple treatment options are available. Schedule an appointment with A&U Family Medicine over the phone or online today.