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Brief Description:

People with type 2 diabetes are faced with a serious disease that can lead to problems such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputations. However, the sooner that people with type 2 diabetes are able to manage their disease, the better their chances are of avoiding or delaying these serious problems.

Transcript:

Balintfy: Heart disease is the number one cause of death for people with type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Rodgers: In fact, two of three patients with diabetes will suffer and die from a heart attack or a stroke.

Balintfy: Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, says because of this and other problems such as blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputations, it is important for people with diabetes to set goals to manage their disease.

Dr. Rodgers: I think it’s very important to pick a realistic goal, and something that one can stick with, and set that goal, write it down, and then work toward that goal.

Balintfy: Goals can include increasing physical activity, making better food choices and managing blood sugar levels better. Dr. Rodgers recommends working with a health care team to monitor the ABCs of diabetes.

Dr. Rodgers: The A stands for the hemoglobin, A1C, and that’s a general measure of the average glucose or sugar control in the preceding two to three months. Typically, for most patients, we like that A1C value to be less than seven percent. The B stands for blood pressure, and for most patients with type 2 diabetes, a target for that blood pressure should be less than 130/80. C stands for cholesterol, or the so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol, we typically like that target to be 90 or less.

Balintfy: Keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels close to these targets reduces risk for the long-term problems of diabetes. Dr. Rodgers also points out that a health care team will know if medications are working.

Dr. Rodgers: In general we think that patients should have at least two visits with their health care provider over the course of the year, at which point the hemoglobin A1C should be measured.

Balintfy: Dr. Rodgers adds that additional exams, like an eye exam, are recommended annually.

Dr. Rodgers: In addition, of course, we’re looking for evidence of kidney damage, so a urine and a blood test to look for so-called diabetic nephropathy is important. Looking for evidence of disease in the foot, and so a foot examination, using fibers to examine the touch and feeling sensation there is a good way to look for nerve damage that might accompany diabetes as it relates and hopefully it’ll prevent patients going on for requiring amputations in their feet.

Balintfy: Dr. Rodgers emphasizes that people with type 2 diabetes ask their health care team questions about the disease, as well as prevention and treatment goals. Patients and health care professionals can get more information from the National Diabetes Education Program by calling 1-888-693-NDEP or visiting www.yourdiabetesinfo.org. This is Joe Balintfy, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.