Diabetes Specialist

What are the symptoms of Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetics may never have symptoms before they are diagnosed. However, common symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, extreme hunger, and unintended weight loss. If you or your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact Dr. Abraham for a consultation immediately.

How are Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes different?

The term diabetes refers to the body's inability to process glucose in the bloodstream. Once referred to as "Juvenile Diabetes", Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where a healthy immune system inexplicably attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Eventually, the cells will die completely, and the person is left reliant on insulin injections or infusions for the rest of their life.

Once referred to as "Adult Onset Diabetes", Type 2 Diabetics still produce insulin, but either the body does not produce enough to counteract the amount of glucose in the blood, or the body is resistant to the insulin it produces.

While diet and exercise can greatly affect whether a person is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, there is no way for Type 1 diabetes to be prevented or cured.

How is Diabetes Treated?

This largely depends on the type of diabetes diagnosed. Maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle is important for all diabetics and many diabetics of both types will require insulin injections or infusions to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Both types of diabetics will be required to monitor their blood sugar levels throughout the day. However, advances in medicine have allowed Type 2 diabetics access to non-insulin medications that help their bodies become less resistant to the insulin they produce where Type 1 diabetics are reliant on insulin injections for life.