The month of November has been designated as American Diabetes Month while November 14th is designated as World Diabetes Day. According to the CDC, “diabetes is a chronic, long-lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.” The foods we consume are digested into glucose (sugar) and get released into the bloodstream.
As your blood sugar rises, it signals the pancreas to release insulin which acts like a key and lets blood sugar enter the body’s cells where it is used as energy. When a person has diabetes, their body either can’t utilize the insulin it produces as well as is necessary or doesn’t produce enough to begin with. When the cells stop utilizing the available insulin or there is a lack of it, a lot of blood sugar stays in the blood, cutting off the energy needed by the cells.
The Types of Diabetes
Diabetes is not one kind of illness but there are three major forms of diabetes which are broken down as follows:
- Type 1 – an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to destroy insulin producing cells; Type 1 typically begins prior to adulthood.
- Type 2 – usually begins during middle age and results from the body’s inability to use insulin properly in order to regulate blood sugar.
- Gestational – a condition that exists when the body fails to use insulin properly during pregnancy; this is similar to Type 2.
The Risks Associated With Diabetes
The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s “MedlinePlus” guide cautions that diabetes puts us at risk a number of complications arising from uncontrolled blood sugar including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Foot and limb injuries
- Nerve damage
- Vision problems
This is why it’s so important to understand the disease and how to effectively manage it.
The Role of the MRI in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes
In the more common cases of diabetes mellitus, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a significant role by helping clinicians treat diabetic complications. When an MRI is used in a comprehensive treatment program, it can help medical professionals determine complication risks before a patient is in danger. There are additional areas where MRI’s can be especially helpful are the monitoring and planning for the treatment of other diabetes-related complications such as:
- Atherosclerosis
- Diabetic nephropathy
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Erectile dysfunction
- Infections
- Vascular complications
With diabetes, identifying or recognizing the earlier warning signs and working proactively with treatment methods are some of the best ways to keep individuals healthy over the long term. For more information, call Vital Imaging at (305) 596-9992 today.