Treating type II diabetes - A practical approach
About this video
A practical approach to treating type 2 diabetes begins with a diabetes education program that teaches about the disease and builds nutrition and exercise plans. Treatment then depends on severity: mild cases may start with lifestyle changes alone, while moderate or severe cases add metformin. If blood sugar control stays poor, second-line medications are added one at a time, and insulin follows if control is still not reached.
You'll be able to
- describe the first step in treating type 2 diabetes and why it matters
- match the treatment starting point to the severity of the disease
- order the escalation steps from lifestyle changes through metformin, second-line drugs and insulin
Key words
- Type 2 diabetes
- A condition in which blood glucose is not well controlled, which can cause complications if untreated.
- Metformin
- The first-line medication for type 2 diabetes, started alongside lifestyle changes in moderate or severe cases.
- Hemoglobin A1C
- A blood test that shows average blood glucose over time, used to check whether treatment is working.
- Second-line medication
- A drug added to the regimen when metformin alone does not bring blood sugar under control.
- Lifestyle modification
- Changes to diet and exercise that form the base of diabetes treatment.
Transcript
- [Voiceover] Let's briefly go over a practical approach to treating type II diabetes. The first step is a diabetes education program. Now this is a very important element of treating type II diabetes as it teaches individuals about the disease, its potential complications, and how it can be treated.
These programs will work with individuals to create nutrition and exercise plans that will help them to succeed in living a healthy lifestyle. Now, the second step in the treatment of type II diabetes will vary depending on the severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis.
If the condition is mild, meaning the individual has no symptoms or evidence of complications from diabetes, then they can probably just start with lifestyle modifications alone. However, if the condition is moderate or severe, meaning they have symptoms of type II diabetes or evidence of its complications, then they should be started with lifestyle modifications as well as metformin, which is the first-line medication for type II diabetes.
After being started on these interventions, the individual should be rechecked by their primary care provider in one to two months. If their hemoglobin A1C has improved and their diabetes is under control, then they can move on to routine followup which consists of a primary care visit at least two times per year as well as a yearly dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist.
However, if their hemoglobin A1C is not improved and their diabetes is not well controlled, then a second-line medication should be added to the regimen and the type of medication may vary by individual, and so this decision should be discussed with one's primary care provider.
Then once again, the individual should have a recheck appointment in one to two months, and the process then repeats itself from hereon. So the fourth step would be to add a second second-line medication. Then the fifth and last step is that if an individual with type II diabetes cannot control their condition with metformin and two additional second-line medications, then insulin should be added to their treatment regimen, and then the dose should be adjusted accordingly until he or she is able to maintain normal blood glucose levels.
By using this practical approach to treating type II diabetes, healthcare providers can help individuals live a happy and healthy life free of the complications of type II diabetes.
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