Prevention

Complications that diabetes may bring such as eye disease, nerve disease and kidney disease may be avoided with good, steady blood sugar control. Plain and simple. Good glycemic control is a result of many factors which includes regular contact with your diabetes team. This means regular check ups with your doctor, having an annual dilated eye exam and consulting with your certified diabetes educator and nutritionist on a regular basis. Making good, healthy food choices throughout the day and self monitoring of blood glucose. We hear that over and over like the broken record it is. It is the time honored principle of good diabetes management.

Focusing upon self monitoring of blood glucose daily remains the key to good health and lowering ones risk of developing complications. The yardstick by which your physician measures your average blood sugars over a three to four month period is the glycosylated hemoglobin value abbreviated as the HbA1c or simply A1c. The American Diabetes Association recommends that all patients with diabetes have this test done four times a year and that patients understand what the results of this blood test means. Understanding this test and what the results mean will aid in you managing your diabetes hand-in-hand with your physician.

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) is a now famous landmark study which clearly indicated that normal blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes decreases complications from diabetes. There have been other subsequent studies on this population of subjects which continues to yield more valuable information. For more information about preventing diabetes see: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/preventionprogram/.