4 Things We Want You to Know About Diabetes

Did you know that more than 38 million Americans have diabetes and another 98 million have prediabetes? Given that a third of the population is affected by diabetes, we’ll dive into a few important facts about this chronic disease.

The numbers associated with diabetes in the United States are eye-popping — 11.6% of the population has diabetes (about 38.4 million people) and another 98 million people have prediabetes.

Whether you have diabetes or you’re knocking at its door with prediabetes, education is paramount. Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, our team of medical providers here at LaSante Health Center wants to share some important information about diabetes.

Diabetes — a matter of sugar

The eye-opening numbers that we presented at the beginning of this blog mostly refer to Type 2 diabetes, and this is the type that we’re focusing on here.

Under normal circumstances, your body relies on a hormone called insulin, which is produced in your pancreas, for fuel. This hormone travels through your bloodstream to pick up glucose (sugar) and deliver it to your cells, which use the sugar as energy.

When you have Type 2 diabetes, the glucose levels in your blood are too high because your body has developed insulin resistance and your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance.

Nerve damage is a clear and present danger

The reason diabetes is so serious is because of the complications that stem from high glucose levels in your blood. These complications include everything from gum disease to nerve damage.

About half of people with diabetes develop peripheral neuropathy, which describes damage to nerves outside your central nervous system. This damage typically occurs in your lower extremities — your lower legs, ankles, and feet.

This nerve damage occurs when you have higher-than-normal glucose levels in your bloodstream, which can damage the blood vessels that deliver the resources your nerves need for healthy function.

As a result, your nerves become damaged and malfunction, which can lead to pain, numbness, and tingling in your lower legs.

This neuropathy can also pave the way to problematic diabetic ulcers, which can be slow to heal, leaving them wide open to infection. Diabetic foot ulcers form in 1.6 million Americans each year, and more than half of these wounds become infected,

Of these infections, about 20% will end with lower extremity amputation.

Diabetes and your eyesight

Diabetes can also damage the small blood vessels in your eyes and rob you of your clear vision. In fact, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults in the US.

You can successfully manage diabetes

While we’ve set a rather gloomy outlook when it comes to diabetes, we want to end on a positive note. You can manage diabetes and avoid many of these serious and life-changing complications.

Even better, we can reverse prediabetes and help you steer clear of a diabetes diagnosis altogether.

Our team helps many of our patients to successfully navigate diabetes through medications, lifestyle changes, and vigilant oversight. This last part is essential, as our team can look out for the earliest signs of a potential problem and intervene quickly to get you on a healthier path forward.

If you’d like to get the best diabetes team in your corner, look no further than LaSante. To sit down with one of our diabetes specialists, book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700.

We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.