Treatment Overview

People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely than people who don't have diabetes to die of heart and blood vessel diseases.  If you are 30 or older, talk to your health professional about taking a low-dose, or baby, aspirin daily to help prevent heart attack, stroke, or other large blood vessel disease (macrovascular disease). You can reduce your risk further by lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Treatment for diabetes includes:

• Eating a balanced diet that spreads carbohydrates throughout the day to prevent high blood sugar levels after meals.

• Getting regular physical exercise because it helps the body respond better to insulin.

• Monitoring blood sugar at home to know when the level is above or below your recommended range.

• Taking oral medication, if diet and exercise are not able to keep blood sugar levels within a safe range. You may need one or more medications that help the body produce more insulin or use it properly.

• Taking insulin, temporarily or for the rest of their lives. People with type 2 diabetes may need to take insulin temporarily if their blood sugar is high at the time of diagnosis or they are seriously ill, have surgery, become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. You may need insulin for the rest of your life if your pancreas produces very little or no insulin. This can occur over time in people with type 2 diabetes. Insulin may be taken alone or along with oral medications for diabetes and may be given as injections or by using an insulin pump (typically used by people with type 1 diabetes).

• Having regular medical checkups to monitor and adjust treatment. Screening tests and examinations need to be done regularly to look for complications from diabetes, such as eye, kidney, cardiovascular, and nerve diseases. Early detection and treatment of complications can help prevent progression of the disease and the development of other complications.

Other important issues

If you have type 2 diabetes, you also need to:

• Wear medical identification at all times to let health professionals know in an emergency that you have diabetes.

• Treat high blood sugar levels quickly to prevent an emergency. If you take some oral diabetes medications or insulin, you will need to recognize and treat low blood sugar levels quickly to prevent emergencies.

• Take extra care of your feet and teeth and gums to prevent problems that may develop because of high blood sugar.

• Know how to care for yourself when you are sick.