Diabetic Clinic - Mount Gravatt Medical Centre
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Diabetic Clinic
GENERAL PRACTICE
We understand that being diagnosed with diabetes can often be very upsetting and confusing.
There is no doubt that living with diabetes will change your life in many ways.
Diabetes is a complex and serious condition, however, it can be managed and the risk of complications reduced.
The term diabetes mellitus includes several different metabolic disorders which, if left untreated, results in abnormally high concentration of a sugar called glucose in the blood.
Diabetes mellitus type 1 results when the pancreas no longer produces significant amounts of the hormone insulin, usually owing to the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
Diabetes mellitus type 2, in contrast, is now thought to result from autoimmune attacks on the pancreas and/or insulin resistance. The pancreas of a person with type 2 diabetes may be producing normal or even abnormally large amounts of insulin.
The main goal of diabetes management is, as far as possible, to restore carbohydrate metabolism to a normal state. To achieve this goal, individuals with an absolute deficiency of insulin require insulin replacement therapy, which is given through injections or an insulin pump.
Insulin resistance, in contrast, can be corrected by dietary modifications and exercise.
Other goals of diabetes management are to prevent or treat the many complications that can result from the disease, especially if neglected or left untreated.