Diabetes is a chronic health condition that can lead to potentially harmful complications, such as neuropathy and stroke. At Clinica San Miguel, which has 12 locations throughout Texas — three in Dallas, five in Houston, and one in Farmers Branch, Fresno, Arlington, San Antonio, and Pasadena — the family medicine specialists provide comprehensive diabetes care. Managing your symptoms now can prevent complications in the future. To learn more about diabetes, call Clinica San Miguel or schedule an appointment online today.
Diabetes is a long-lasting condition that occurs when your blood sugar levels are too high. The condition develops when your body produces too little of the hormone insulin or doesn’t use it efficiently. Insulin helps transport glucose (sugar) that your body uses for energy. Without insulin, sugar builds in the blood, ultimately damaging your blood vessel walls.
Managing your blood sugar levels is crucial with diabetes. Too much sugar in the blood can damage your blood vessels and vital organs, raising your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).
Four main types of diabetes can negatively impact your health:
When your body doesn’t produce insulin, Type 1 diabetes may develop. Most individuals receive a diagnosis during childhood, but symptoms can develop later in life. If you have Type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin every day.
Type 2 diabetes typically develops in adults, but it can also occur in children and teenagers. While anybody can get Type 2 diabetes, lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, excess weight, and inactivity, significantly increase your risk.
Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women. Although the condition is temporary and typically resolves after birth, gestational diabetes can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, you may have prediabetes. Without treatment, prediabetes can evolve into Type 2 diabetes. That’s why regular physical exams and bloodwork are important steps in preventing chronic diseases, such as diabetes.
How your diabetes symptoms manifest typically depends on the type you have and its progression. Common symptoms of diabetes include:
Diabetes symptoms tend to worsen over time. By seeking treatment now, you can slow the disease’s progression.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. Physicians don’t know why the condition develops. Some of the most common causes of Type 2 diabetes include:
Your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes also increases if you previously had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
The family medicine specialists at Clinica San Miguel offer all-inclusive care for diabetes that may include:
To learn more about diabetes, call Clinica San Miguel or schedule an appointment online today.
