Diabetes

Over 30 million Americans have diabetes, but more than one in four don’t have a diagnosis. At Cornerstone Medical Associates Smyrna, Tennessee, Olawumi O. Ayo Akatue, MD, and Richmond A. Akatue, MD, provide exceptional internal medicine in a primary care clinic for numerous conditions, including diabetes. To learn more about diabetes and prediabetes, call Cornerstone Medical Associates, or schedule an appointment online today.

Diabetes Q & A

Diabetes is a blood sugar disease. Your blood sugar, or blood glucose, comes from the food you consume and gives your body energy.

Insulin, a hormone that your pancreas produces, regulates your blood sugar. When you have diabetes, your pancreas either doesn’t make enough -- or any -- insulin, or it doesn’t use its insulin effectively.

There are several different forms of diabetes, such as:

Type 1: your pancreas doesn’t make insulin; typically starts in childhood
Type 2: your body doesn’t make or use insulin properly; often associated with obesity
Gestational: you develop blood sugar problems during pregnancy that generally resolve after childbirth

You can also experience prediabetes. This condition indicates that you have high blood sugar, but it isn’t high enough to be considered diabetes. Similar to Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes is often the result of being overweight, eating a poor diet, or having a sedentary lifestyle.

You can have diabetes without displaying any symptoms, so it’s important to talk to your doctor if you have a personal risk of developing this condition or have a family history of the disease.

When diabetes symptoms are present, they’re similar between the different types, but Type 1 symptoms typically appear suddenly and are usually more severe.

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

Fatigue
Dry mouth
Itchy skin
Frequent yeast infections
Sores that heal slowly
Nausea and vomiting
Increased thirst and urination
Unexplained weight loss despite extreme hunger
Pain or numbness in your legs or feet

Having unmanaged high blood sugar can increase your risk of several health complications, including nerve damage, heart disease, high cholesterol, and stroke.

You can’t cure Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, but Dr. Olawumi O. Ayo Akatue and Dr. Richmond A. Akatue can help manage your condition to avoid long-term health complications.

Depending on your blood glucose level, your doctor works closely with you to outline a whole-body approach to manage your condition. You typically control Type 1 diabetes with daily insulin injections, but Type 2 often responds to exercise and diet alone.

Even if you’re using insulin or medication to manage your diabetes, your doctor also provides lifestyle modifications to improve your overall health, such as dietary changes, physical activity, or weight loss.

For more information on diabetes, call Cornerstone Medical Associates, or make an appointment online today.