Millions of Americans today suffer from some form of diabetes. While it can be a severe and harmful disease, proper management and care can drastically improve a patient’s quality of life. At the office of Gary E. Goff, MD, in Dallas, the highly trained team have years of experience in detecting, diagnosing, and treating all varieties of diabetes, helping their patients live life to the fullest. Call or go online today to schedule your consultation.
Diabetes is a term used to describe several different conditions. While these conditions may vary in the specifics, they all share one thing in common: Problems with the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and plays an important role in helping your body store and use fat and sugar from the food that you eat. Diabetes can interrupt this vital process in one of three ways:
Early detection and proper diagnoses are important to help you get the proper care.
As you may be aware, there are two main classifications for diabetes: Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. While different, both conditions can be serious.
In type 1 diabetes, which is usually detected in childhood, your immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of your pancreas, causing you to be unable to produce insulin naturally.
People with type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin, but either in insufficient amounts or your body becomes resistant to the insulin. Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age.
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy and resolves after giving birth, although it can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.
Recognizing the symptoms of diabetes is important, as early detection and treatment are vital. Symptoms include:
Diabetes symptoms often onset quickly and can be quite severe. The symptoms for type 2 diabetes can be similar to type 1, although some people with type 2 will not experience any symptoms at all. Symptoms unique to type 2 diabetes include:
If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important to seek medical care at the office of Gary E. Goff, MD.
Fortunately, treatment options are available. For type 1 diabetes, insulin injections are needed to control insulin levels. Type 2 diabetes may also require insulin injection, but certain lifestyle changes can help to make insulin unnecessary in this situation. These changes include:
For expert diabetes diagnosis and treatment, call or go online to schedule an appointment at the office of Gary E. Goff, MD, today.