Rates of diabetes are on the rise across the United States, but even more so in underrepresented populations. At HAPI Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, experienced family medicine doctor Mai Vi Hoang, MD, and her team provide people in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities with comprehensive diabetic care. They also work hard to prevent diabetes where possible and identify it early on. For expert diabetes diagnosis and treatment, call HAPI Medical Center or request an appointment using the online booking tool today.
Diabetes is an endocrine disorder that stems from a problem with your glands. These organs produce hormones, the chemical messengers that direct functions ranging from reproduction to metabolism. With diabetes, the problem is with your pancreas, an organ that releases the hormone insulin.
Insulin regulates the sugar levels in your blood. You need a healthy sugar concentration for fast access to energy, but too much or too little can cause numerous health problems, some of which are life-threatening.
Without treatment, diabetes can lead to multiple complications, including heart problems, nerve damage (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), sight loss (diabetic retinopathy), and kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy).
Fortunately, effective treatments for diabetes are available at HAPI Medical Center.
Diabetes has several causes:
An autoimmune disorder develops when your body’s immune system destroys cells in certain parts of your body. With Type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys cells in your pancreas that make insulin.
Unlike Type 1 diabetes, which is unpreventable and incurable, Type 2 diabetes most often develops from poor lifestyle choices. Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include excess body weight, a high sugar, high fat diet, and a lack of exercise.
Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy. Without prompt treatment, it can cause reduced maternal health and excessive fetal growth. Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes often grow much larger than expected, making delivery complicated and increasing the risk of vaginal tearing and emergency C-section surgery.
If you have Type 1 diabetes, you must stay on insulin therapy for life. You need to monitor your blood sugar levels and give yourself injections or use an insulin pump.
People with gestational diabetes might require daily monitoring and insulin therapy during pregnancy. Your blood sugar levels start returning to normal as soon as the baby is born. However, having gestational diabetes increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in later life.
Type 2 diabetes treatment involves:
You might require oral medication to help regulate your blood sugar levels, but insulin injections are only needed for severe Type 2 diabetes.
To determine whether you have diabetes, visit HAPI Medical Center for a simple blood test. Call the office or book an appointment online today.