Diabetes

Diabetes is a common medical problem that affects about 1 in 10 people in the United States. At Katy Wellness Center & Family Physicians in Katy, Texas, the exceptional family medicine team offers diabetes management and prevention for patients of all ages to maximize their health, minimize symptoms, and reduce the risk of severe complications. Call the office to schedule an appointment, or use the online booking tab today.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a common chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to properly control sugar within the bloodstream. Various forms of diabetes exist, including:

• Type 1 diabetes: insufficient levels of insulin; usually develops during childhood
• Type 2 diabetes: inability to use insulin properly; often appears over age 40
• Prediabetes: a condition that leads to diabetes when left untreated
• Gestational diabetes: diabetes that develops due to pregnancy

Gestational diabetes may go away after a woman delivers her baby. Treating diabetes by managing blood sugar is vital to prevent life-threatening complications. 

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

The hallmark symptoms of diabetes include:

• Urinating often
• Feeling more thirsty than usual
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakness
• Fatigue 
• Mood changes
• Irritability
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing sores
• Frequent vaginal, skin, or gum infections

Potential complications of untreated diabetes include heart disease, nerve damage, foot problems, eye damage, hearing issues, and kidney damage. Your risk of depression and Alzheimer’s disease also appears to increase.

What are the risk factors for diabetes?

The main risk factor for type 1 diabetes is a family history of the disease. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and prediabetes include:

• Poor dietary habits
• Family history of diabetes
• Lack of exercise
• Carrying excess body weight 

Adopting healthy habits reduces your chance of developing these forms of diabetes. 

How is diabetes diagnosed?

Your Katy Wellness Center & Family Physicians provider diagnoses diabetes (or determines how well you’re currently managing diabetes) by reviewing your medical history, discussing your symptoms, checking your vital signs, and completing a physical exam. They use a simple blood test to evaluate your blood sugar levels and determine the most appropriate treatment.

How is diabetes treated?

The Katy Wellness Center & Family Physicians team recommends lifestyle changes, including medically supervised weight loss as needed, to maximize blood sugar control. You might also need insulin injections, oral diabetes, medications, an insulin pump, combinations of diabetes treatments, or the management of diabetes-related complications.

Your primary care provider monitors your health regularly to ensure your treatment is effective.

Call the Katy Wellness Center & Family Physicians office or schedule an appointment online today to get screened or treated for diabetes.