South Miami Heart Center & Diabetes Care

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 million Americans have this disease. South Florida represents home for many of the ethnic groups at highest risk for diabetes – Hispanics, African Americans, American Indians and people of Asian decent.

Understanding Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin or is resistant to insulin. Insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, helps transform the nutrients from the food we eat into fuel and energy needed for the body to work properly. When insulin is not available or does not do the job it should, high levels of glucose, or sugar, accumulate in the blood and pose a serious health threat.

Types of Diabetes

• Prediabetes: The body starts showing the initial stages of insulin resistance. Blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. At this stage, people can put measures in place to prevent the full development of diabetes.
• Type 1 Diabetes: The pancreas produces little or no insulin and the person requires daily insulin injections. Genetics, exposure to a viral infection or an autoimmune response that has destroyed the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas are the most likely causes of type 1 diabetes. While type 1 diabetes generally starts in childhood or young adulthood, it can begin at any age. Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent in Caucasians.
• Type 2 Diabetes: This is the most common form of diabetes and is the result of insulin resistance. Frequently, the pancreas produces plenty of insulin, but the body’s resistance to it prevents it from working properly. Eventually, the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to fend off this resistance and blood sugar levels become dangerously high. Family history, obesity, erratic eating habits and lack of exercise are the most common causes of type 2 diabetes. Approximately 90 percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes have this type of diabetes. Type 2 is more prevalent in African Americans, Mexican Americans and Pima Indians.
• Gestational Diabetes: Changes in hormonal levels during pregnancy cause insulin resistance, leading to gestational diabetes in some women. Elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy can complicate the health of the mother and baby and should be monitored carefully. Gestational diabetes is more common in women over the age of 25, women with a family history of diabetes and women who are overweight before pregnancy. This type of diabetes usually disappears after delivery, but women who have diabetes during pregnancy are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Risk Factors

Depending on the type of diabetes you have, your risk factors will vary.

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes:

• Family history
• Viral illness

Risk factors for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes:

• Excessive weight, especially in the abdomen
• Lack of physical activity
• Family history
• African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian Americans have greatest risk
• Age-risk increases after age 45
• Polycystic ovary syndrome increases the risk of diabetes in women
• Conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, when combined with obesity, increase the chances of developing diabetes

Symptoms

Diabetes symptoms vary, depending upon which form of the disease is present. Because some people with high blood sugars do not feel any symptoms, diabetics should test their glucose levels at home. People at risk for diabetes should have their glucose checked regularly by a qualified healthcare professional. Here are the most common symptoms associated with high blood sugars:

• Excessive urination
• Frequent, extreme thirst
• Intense hunger
• Sores that are slow to heal
• Chronic infection of the gums, skin, vagina and/or bladder
• Unexplained weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry, itchy skin
• Weakness and exhaustion
• Mood swings and irritability
• Loss of sensation or tingling in hands or feet

Treatment

There are several ways to treat and manage diabetes. Better insulins allow for a more flexible lifestyle. A larger selection of pills and injectable diabetes medications better fit a person’s unique needs. Today’s meal-planning approaches better adjust to your own routine. Because of the wide variety of existing therapies, it is very important that you work closely with your doctor find the best treatment for you.

Healthy eating habits and a good body weight will greatly benefit anyone with diabetes and those trying to prevent or delay the onset of this disease. For most, increased physical activity is also an important part of the treatment plan. This alone may be enough to avoid the progression from prediabetes to diabetes. Those already diagnosed with type 2 or gestational diabetes may be able to keep blood sugars well controlled. If this is not enough, medications may be needed. Because people with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin, they always need daily insulin injections to stay healthy. Some people benefit from an insulin pump.

The best way of knowing if the treatment is working well or if changes are needed is to regularly test your blood sugar levels at home. Additionally, your doctor will order A1C tests. These tests show your average blood glucose for the past two to three months and reveal how effective the management plan is and the risk of developing diabetic complications.

Help for Managing Diabetes

If you have diabetes, the healthcare professionals at South Miami Hospital’s Diabetes Care Center can help you and your doctor manage your disease and maintain healthy blood sugar levels. They offer free blood sugar screenings, external insulin pump therapy, self-care diabetes management education, nutritional counseling and ongoing support groups. Our Diabetes Care Center is recognized by the American Diabetes Association as a Diabetes Self-management Education Program.

Contact Us

To learn more about our services, call the Diabetes Care Center at 786-662-5168.

Physician Referral

Get an online referral to a South Miami Heart Center physician or call the South Miami Heart Center Physician Referral line at 786-662-2222.