Treating Diabetes
The goals of diabetes
treatment are to keep blood glucose within normal range and to prevent
long-term complications. Why control blood glucose? In the first place,
diabetes can cause short-term effects: some are unpleasant and some are
dangerous. These include thirst, frequent urination, weakness, lack of
ability to concentrate, loss of coordination, and blurred vision. Loss of
consciousness is possible with very high or low blood sugar levels, but is
more of a danger in insulin-dependent than in noninsulin-dependent
diabetes.
In the second place, the long-term complications of diabetes may
| Points to Remember
- Diabetes treatment can reduce symptoms, like thirst and
weakness, and the chances of long-term problems, like heart and
eye disease.
- If treatment with diet and exercise isn't effective, a doctor
may prescribe oral medications or insulin.
- There is no known cure for diabetes; daily treatment must
continue throughout a person's lifetime.
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result from many years of high blood
glucose. Research is under way to find out if this is true and to learn if
careful control can help prevent complications. Meanwhile, most doctors
feel that if people with diabetes keep their blood glucose levels under
control, they will reduce the risk of complications.
In 1986, a National Institutes of Health panel of experts recommended
that the best treatment for noninsulin-dependent diabetes is a diet that
helps the person maintain normal weight. In people who are overweight,
losing weight is the one treatment that is clearly effective in
controlling diabetes.
In some people, exercise can help keep weight and diabetes under
control. However, when diet and exercise alone can't control diabetes, two
other kinds of treatment are available: oral diabetes medications and
insulin. The treatment a doctor suggests depends on the person's age,
lifestyle, and the severity of the diabetes.