Why treating diabetes is important

Why treating diabetes is important

By Christina Ross – Accredited Practising Dietitian

“I’ve got diabetes but it’s not serious”. “My diabetes doesn’t affect how I’m feeling so I’m not interested in changing my lifestyle”.

These are some of the very common myths and misconceptions we hear in the clinic related to diabetes. Although many patients might first come to us with these beliefs, they soon come to realise how complex and serious this diagnosis can be – and why treating diabetes is so important.

Diabetes can affect many parts of the body and cause long-term, debilitating complications including:

• Heart disease – Having diabetes increases your risk of heart disease (even if your cholesterol levels are currently healthy) and makes it four times more likely you’ll suffer heart attacks and strokes¹.
• Vision loss & blindness – Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when the small blood vessels at the back of the eye are damaged, due to poorly controlled blood glucose levels over time. Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Australia¹.
• Bladder & kidney damage – Diabetes increases the risk of bladder and kidney infections. Kidney failure is three times more common in people with diabetes¹, and will require life-long dialysis or a kidney transplant.
• Amputations – Long-term elevated blood glucose levels cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels in your feet, and can result in amputation, which is 15 times more common in people with diabetes¹.
• Mental health – Over 30% of people with diabetes experience depression, anxiety and distress¹.

The best strategy for reducing your risk of developing these diabetes-related complications is to be proactive in looking after your health and managing your condition. Maintain regular contact with your medical and healthcare team and follow their evidence-based medical and lifestyle treatment advice.

Our multidisciplinary team often conducts clinical trials to further progress the evidence-base around chronic disease management. If you’d like to register your interest in participating in any upcoming clinical trials, please provide your details here [https://info.bmiclinic.com.au/t2d-studies].

¹ Diabetes Australia – Preventing Complications (https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/preventing-complications)