Diabetes

What is diabetes?

While many people think of diabetes as a singular condition, it is, in fact, a group of diseases. The commonality between each type of diabetes is the impact they have on your body’s ability to properly use the sugar (also known as glucose) in your bloodstream.

Your body uses a hormone called insulin to convert the glucose in your bloodstream to fuel for your cells. Your body needs this blood sugar to power everything from your muscles to your brain. 

But in people with diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or it doesn’t respond to insulin the way it should. As a result, too much sugar builds up in the bloodstream—and this presents a problem. Over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to a wide range of complications, including:

• Nerve damage
• Cardiovascular disease
• Vision loss
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Kidney damage
• Depression

Clearly, controlling your blood sugar levels is important for your long-term health. 

What are the different types of diabetes?

In addition to gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, the most common types of diabetes include:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. People with this type of diabetes have an immune system that attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, leaving their body with insufficient insulin levels to properly balance their blood sugar levels. 

Type 2 diabetes

This type of diabetes usually develops later in life and is often linked to unhealthy lifestyle choices like an imbalanced diet and insufficient exercise. Type 2 diabetes causes your cells to resist insulin as it tries to convert blood sugar into energy. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. 

How is diabetes treated?

Regardless of the type of diabetes affecting you, Dr. Avitabile is here to help you get the treatment you need to keep your blood sugar levels balanced. If you have Type 1 diabetes, this likely means regular insulin injections so your body can properly convert glucose into fuel for your cells.

But if you’re living with Type 2 diabetes, balancing your blood sugar levels could be as simple as making a series of lifestyle changes. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are powerful tools you can use to manage your diabetes. 

Dr. Avitabile is a diabetic expert who can help you manage your condition. Call the office or schedule your appointment online today.