Dr. Mary Mason wants to hear from you. She answers your health questions every Wednesday on News 4 at Noon. This week, she's answering questions on type 2 diabetes.
What does it mean to have type 2 diabetes? How this different from Type 1 diabetes in children?
With diabetes, your body has trouble converting sugar into energy that can be used by the body with the help of a hormone call insulin. If you body can't produce the hormone insulin or your body becomes resistant to it, you have diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, usually diagnosed in kids, where the pancreas stops making insulin and requires treatment with insulin shots. In type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult onset diabetes, is associated with being overweight and lack of exercise.The pancreas still makes insulin, but there in not enough to go around or the body has become resistant to it. With the increasing rates of obesity in children, more and more children and teens are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
How do you know if you have diabetes?
Type 2 or insulin resistant DM can present as increased thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, or an infection that can't heal. Urinary tract or yeast infection that won't go away with treatment are a common warning signs. American Diabetes Association recommends that everyone over the age of 45 or anyone who is overweight get screened with a fasting blood glucose test. This is simple blood test that measures your blood glucose after not eating for 8 hours.If borderline or high, your doctor can confirm the diagnosis withanother blood test called a hemoglobin A1C test,to see what your blood sugars levels have been doing on averageover the last few months.
Does diabetes run in families?
While family history does put you at increased risk for diabetes, getting older puts you at risk as well. The best way to protect yourself is to getting regular screenings and keep your weight in the normal range and eat a diet high is fiber. One recent study found that those who ate a diet with fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oil- basically the Merriterian diet, reduced their chances of developing insulin resistance by 83%.
If you have type 2 diabetes, do you always have to take medication or insulin shots?Unlike type 1 diabetes, losing weight, following a healthy, low-carbdiet and exercising can help some patients control their blood sugar levels without medication.Many type 2 diabetics can successfully control their blood sugar with oral medication, such as metoformin, and don't require insulin shots. Some patients may require more than one pill to control their blood sugar and insulin shots really are the last resort if blood sugar levels can not adequtely be controlled. Even if you are not on medications for your diabetes, it is very important to keep your regular appointments with your doctor to follow blood sugar levels as well as cholesterol levels, eye and foot exams.
About Dr. Mary Mason:
Dr. Mason is board certified in Internal Medicine and is the Assistant Clinical Professor at Washington University School of Medicine. She went to medical school at Washington University, and did her Internal MedicineResidency and was Chief Resident for Internal Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Mason teaches in the internal medicine residency clinic.
