Around 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, and around 34.2 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, making it one of the most common health problems in both the US and around the world. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and one that our general medicine practitioners help patients manage quite regularly. Whether you or someone you love has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, or you’re at risk, here’s what you should know about this disease.

Diabetes is a chronic condition

When the body doesn’t produce insulin or doesn’t know how to manage blood sugar levels this is known as diabetes. Since the body doesn’t know how to deliver insulin to the cells for energy, this means that insulin builds up in the blood causing blood sugar to spike. Diabetes is a chronic condition, which means that once you have it, you have it for life. If your general medicine doctor has told you that you are pre-diabetic, the good news is that there are simple lifestyle adjustments that you can make to reverse pre-diabetes.

It’s possible to have diabetes and not know it

We all assume that we would know if we had an illness or chronic disease; however, many people go undiagnosed for years because they don’t have symptoms. This is why it’s important to visit your general practitioner at least once a year for bloodwork to check for diabetes and other conditions that may not show symptoms. It is particularly important for those over 45 years old, especially those who are overweight, to get tested annually for diabetes.

Your lifestyle could put you at risk

While genetics can play a role in whether or not you are more at risk for developing diabetes, your current lifestyle could also put you at risk. Habits such as smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet can greatly impact blood sugar levels and increase your risk for developing diabetes. Getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and eating a healthy, plant-based and balanced diet can go a long way to reducing your risk.

There is no cure, but diabetes can be properly controlled

While there is currently no cure for diabetes, your general doctor can work with you and other specialists to create a treatment plan that helps get your blood sugar under control. While you will need to monitor your blood sugar levels daily, your doctor will also prescribe medications and lifestyle modifications to help manage your diabetes. With the proper treatment plan, diabetes is manageable.

If you haven’t been good about visiting your general medicine doctor about annual checkups, now is the time to take a vested interest in your health. Your doctor can prevent, diagnose and treat all forms of diabetes. Talk to us about ways to protect yourself from diabetes.