Special Medical Interests – Diabetes Management

Welcome to my information corner. I have a special interest in diagnosing, treating and managing one of the biggest medical problems of our time – diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Very simply, diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high because the body is not able to use it properly. It happens because the pancreas does not produce any or enough insulin to help glucose enter the body’s cells – or the insulin that is produced does not work properly – otherwise known as insulin resistance.

There are two types of diabetes – namely Type 1 and Type 2. In Type 1, there is no insulin to help process the glucose, and in Type 2, there is not enough insulin or the insulin is there but not working properly. The majority of people in South Africa have Type 2 diabetes, but unfortunately, many of these cases remain undiagnosed since there are very few symptoms in the beginning.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• Fatigue
• Excessive thirst and urination
• Slow wound healing and skin infections
• Blurred vision

The people most at risk of developing diabetes:

• Are overweight
• Have a family history of diabetes
• Have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy
• Have high cholesterol
• Have high blood pressure or heart disease
• Smoke and drink heavily

It is very important that you see a doctor if you are suffering from these symptoms, so that we can do a test for diabetes. The test is quick, simple and painless – it just involves a finger-prick blood test and results are available immediately.

Managing diabetes involves eating the right diet, getting plenty of exercise, routine check-ups and following your doctor’s advice. By managing diabetes correctly, you can still live a full and healthy life!