In this Article

• What is diabetes?
• What is the treatment for diabetes?
• Exercise therapy
• Diet therapy (diabetic diet)
• Drug therapy
• How is diabetic treatment monitored at home?
• Blood glucose reagent strips
• Blood glucose meters
• Urine glucose tests
• Tests for urinary ketones
• What additional monitoring does the doctor do?
• Blood glucose
• Continuous glucose sensors (CGMS)
• Hemoglobin A1C testing
• Diabetic Home Care and Monitoring At A Glance
• Diabetic Home Care and Monitoring Glossary
• Diabetic Home Care and Monitoring Index

Diabetic Home Care and Monitoring At A Glance

• Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of their sugar glucose in the blood.

• The two types of diabetes are type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non–insulin dependent) diabetes.

• Diabetes treatment depends on the type and severity of the diabetes.

• Type 1 diabetes mellitus is treated with insulin, exercise, and a diabetic diet.

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus is first treated with weight reduction, a diabetic diet, and exercise. When these measures do not control the elevated blood sugar, oral medications are used and, if need be, insulin.

• The main goal of diabetic therapy is to control blood glucose levels and to prevent the complications of diabetes.

• Glucose levels should be lowered into the normal range, if possible, but not to abnormally low levels. It is very important to monitor the effects of treatment on blood glucose levels to avoid overtreatment or undertreatment.

• There are two types of tests for blood glucose monitoring in the home. The first type uses a reagent strip, and the second type uses a reagent strip and a glucose meter. Use of the glucose meter has become more common.

• Glucose also can be measured in the urine. However, the role of home testing of the urine for glucose has faded in recent years.

• Ketoacidosis is a complication of the inadequate treatment of diabetes. This dangerous condition can be identified by testing the urine for ketones.

• People with diabetes should discuss monitoring in detail with their physicians and have clearly defined goals for blood sugar control.

• The choices for blood glucose meters should be discussed and the best meter chosen, taking into account visual impairment, tremors, and other factors which may influence usability.
  
  
  
  • Glucose sensors have improved dramatically in the last few years, and are an option for patients to gain further insight into their patterns of glucose response to tailor a more individual treatment regimen.

• People with diabetes should visit their physician every 3 months to monitor their hemoglobin A1C levels.

• Good diabetes home care and monitoring together with a few physician visits make diabetes much more manageable.

Previous contributing medical editor: Frederick Hecht, MD, FAAP, FACMG

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• insulin - Establishes the medication insulin, a drug used for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Hemoglobin A1c Test - Hemoglobin A1c test is used as a standard tool to determine blood sugar control for patients with diabetes
• Diabetes - Learn about type 1 and 2 diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) symptoms including increased urination, thirst, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin infections, and blurred vision. Causes and diagnosis information is provided in the information.

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