KIN 122 - Diabetes

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Preventing diabetes complications

• Glucose control
• Don't smoke
• Keep blood pressure and cholesterol low
• Schedule yearly physicals and regular eye exams
• Keep vaccinations up to date
• Take care of your teeth
• Pay attention to your feet
• Consider a daily aspirin
• If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly
• Take stress seriously
• Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-management/DA00008

Lecture Notes

The good news about diabetes complications is that many of them are preventable if you follow some good steps towards preventing diabetes complications, and you can see some of those steps here. There are 10 steps that have been outlined by the Mayo Clinic as important. The number one of those is to practice good glucose control, or manage your glucose levels in your blood well. For every one percent that you can reduce you HbA1c, which we'll talk about in a minute—essentially it's just a marker of your blood glucose levels over the previous few months—you could reduce your risk of complications of diabetes by up to 35% depending on the complication. So 1% reduction in A1c, you get about a 35% reduction, up to 35% depending on the complication. We also know that many other health behaviors, such as quitting smoking, keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol low, taking care of your teeth, not drinking alcohol excessively. All of those things that are good for all of us are also very important in diabetes, and good preventative care, whether we're talking about regular exams, vaccinations, cleaning your teeth and gums, inspecting your feet for cuts or bruises; all of these are ways to prevent and reduce the impact of complications from diabetes. And so to see the full explanation for all of these preventative steps, read the full article that's listed here on the slide.