This is Who Needs Regular Diabetes Screening

Diabetes, prediabetes, and glucose intolerance all predispose women to significant complications to their health, thus you must try what you can to prevent.

Preventing complications of diabetes means that important screening tests should be monitored on a regular basis.

Diabetes, through abnormal sugar metabolism contributes to both microvascular and macrovascular disease, meaning that oxygen is compromised to tissues and significant disease can result.

Heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease, eye disease of the retina, and foot ulcers can result from untreated Diabetes.

In areas of the United States it is estimated that about 5 to10% of the population has Type 2 diabetes, and it is estimated that over half of all those with this condition do not yet know it.

Early treatment can prevent progression from early glucose intolerance, or early abnormalities in sugar metabolism, to full diabetes. Risk factors for diabetes include age 45 or greater, overweight (not just obese), history of a baby that weighed over 9 lbs, PCOS, genetic or family history of diabetes, and lack of regular exercise.

Your personal PCP can discuss what test you might need, but here are some guidelines:

1. Those with hypertension or high cholesterol screen every 2-3 years

2. Those with BMI > 30 to 25 screen every 2-3 years

3. Those with tests that are borderline should be tested yearly

4. Repeat tests that indicate diabetes at least once, or use confirmatory tests

5. Those with low testosterone may be more susceptible to diabetes

6. Those with high levels of inflammation are more susceptible to diabetes

7. Those who had diabetes in pregnancy should be tested regularly for diabetes.