Diabetes Care
FAQ About Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic health problem affecting the way in which food is utilized to make energy. It is commonly referred to as diabetes.
Our Diabetes Care Centre is dedicated to the prevention, treatment and management of Diabetes in all its forms. We ensure that all patients receive both basic and specialist diabetes care. The Centre develops innovative patient therapies that immeasurably improve the lives of people with diabetes in a one stop shop approach. At the core of the Centre lies its ambition to provide holistic and multidisciplinary care to patients and their families.
Our aim is to promote self-management of patients while minimizing the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. Our Centre is also affiliated to the Lions Sightfirst Eye hospital and partners with them in various outreach camps, as part of its CSR initiative.
Services offered at our Diabetes Care Centre are:
- Diabetes prevention and management
- Diabetologist/endocrinologist consultation
- Diabetes education sessions
- Nutrition consultation and education
- Psychological counselling/ behavior therapy
- Podiatry (diabetes foot care)
- Podiatry (foot care)
Tests/procedures: spirometry, ankle-brachial index (ABI), electrocardiogram (ECG)
Speciality consultations / referrals: (cardiologist (heart specialist), nephrologist (kidney specialist), vascular surgeon (blood vessels specialist), Gynaecologist/ obstetrician, Physiotherapy, Ophthalmology (eye specialist), Orthopaedic surgeon (bone and joint specialist), dentist
.
What is Diabetes Mellitus?
Diabetes is a multisystem disease since elevated blood sugars eventually affect almost every tissue in the body.
What causes Diabetes Mellitus?
There are various types of diabetes mellitus, but the underlying problem is either a deficiency in insulin or the inability of the body to effectively respond to this insulin or a mixture of both.
A combination of multiple factors play a role in giving rising to diabetes mellitus, but despite advances in science, the exact cause remains a mystery.
Genetics, lifestyle (diet, lack of physical activity, alcohol use, etc.), certain infections, medications including steroids, advancing age, toxins, pregnancy, other hormonal disorders, are among the many risk factors and contributors of this ‘modern world pandemic’.
Can Diabetes Mellitus be prevented?
Not everyone will escape the wrath of this monster, but majority of adult onset and some forms of early onset diabetes can be delayed or even prevented altogether with a few simple lifestyle interventions, even in the presence of strong genetics.
Healthy diets with portion control, regular physical activity including avoidance of long periods without physical movement, in addition to, avoiding cigarette smoking and limiting or withholding alcohol as well as taking medications such as steroids only under supervision of a health expert, are some of the easiest and yet extremely useful ways proven to help prevent or delay diabetes and/or its complications.
Can I stop taking medication once my blood glucose is normal?
No. The work of the medication is to keep the glucose under control. Once you stop, the glucose levels will rise and we will need to restart the medication, possibly even at higher doses.