Hypertension and Diabetes Specialist

Primary Care & Family Care in Scotch Plains, NJ

Hypertension and Diabetes

More than 1.5 million people receive a new diabetes diagnosis every year in the United States. Pooja Mehta, MD, at Garden State Family Care in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, offers strategies to prevent diabetes along with the diagnosis and management of the condition.

Almost half of all adults in the United States have hypertension or are taking medication to control high blood pressure. Hypertension increases your risks for serious heart complications and disease. Pooja Mehta, MD, at Garden State Family Care in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, offers advice for controlling hypertension and treatment when lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lower your blood pressure. Call the office or use the convenient online scheduling tool to book an appointment today.

Hypertension and Diabetes Q & A

What is diabetes?

Your brain, muscles, and tissue cells use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. But too much glucose leads to health problems, like diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how the body uses glucose. There are multiple types of diabetes, including:

Prediabetes

Blood work taken during your annual wellness exam with Dr. Mehta includes a check of your blood sugar. If your glucose is high but not high enough to receive a diabetes classification, it’s called prediabetes. You can reverse prediabetes and prevent progression with diet and exercise lifestyle changes.

Type 1 diabetes

Originally called juvenile diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas doesn’t create enough insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes require insulin.

When you have Type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Sugar builds up in the bloodstream when there isn’t enough insulin to transport it to the cells of your body.

Type 2 diabetes

People with Type 2 diabetes, also called insulin resistance, have a body that fails to use insulin properly. The pancreas can’t make enough insulin to overcome the resistance, so sugar builds up in the bloodstream.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes only affects pregnant women. If you have diabetes during pregnancy it may resolve after the baby is born.

What causes diabetes?

The exact cause of Type 1 diabetes is unknown, although it is believed environmental factors and genetics play a role. If you have a parent or sibling with Type 1 diabetes, you have a higher risk of getting it.

If you have prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes, your body’s cells are resistant to insulin. Weight challenges increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but not everyone who has prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes is overweight.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

People with prediabetes or in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes may not have noticeable symptoms. The symptoms of Type 2 diabetes come on quickly and are much more noticeable. Common signs and symptoms of diabetes include:

Excessive thirst
Feeling hungry often
Unexplained weight loss
Fatigue
Irritability
Frequent urination
Frequent infections, such as gums, skin, or vaginal infections
Blurred vision

If Dr. Mehta suspects you have diabetes, urinalysis or blood work is ordered to check for ketones in the urine and the level of sugar in the blood.

You can’t prevent Type 1 diabetes but healthier lifestyle choices help prevent gestational diabetes, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes. Call Dr. Mehta or schedule an appointment online to discuss diabetes prevention or for help managing the condition.