Diabetes & Endocrinology

Diabetes occurs when your body cannot produce insulin to break down the sugar in your blood. This means your body cannot convert food into the energy you need for daily activities.

Symptoms of diabetes include hunger, thirst, excessive urination, dehydration and weight loss. Diabetes tends to run in families. Other factors that may cause diabetes include extra body weight and poor nutrition.

Diabetes is one of the nation’s biggest health concerns. More than 37 million people are living with diabetes. The number continues to grow.

There are different types of diabetes. Two chronic forms of diabetes are:

• Type I diabetes. Cells in your pancreas are damaged and don’t make insulin. Your body cannot control the level of sugar in your blood. Ten percent of people with diabetes have this form of the condition.
• Type II diabetes. Your body cannot make enough insulin or react to insulin effectively. This lets glucose buildup in your bloodstream. Ninety percent of people with diabetes have Type II.

Other forms of diabetes include:

• Prediabetes. If your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, you’re at risk for Type II diabetes. You may be able to prevent diabetes by eating a healthy diet, losing weight and exercising.
• Gestational diabetes. This condition occurs in pregnant people who cannot make enough insulin. Once the baby is born, the condition usually goes away.

We also treat conditions related to diabetes, such as foot ulcers caused by neuropathy. Neuropathy is the loss of the ability to feel pain caused by nerve damage from diabetes.

We diagnose and manage a wide range of endocrine disorders, such as:

• Addison’s disease occurs when the adrenal glands don’t produce enough aldosterone or cortisol
• Cushing syndrome, caused by high levels of the hormone cortisol
• Goiter, an irregular cell growth or enlargement of the thyroid that forms one or more lumps in the thyroid gland
• Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone
• Hypogonadism, caused by too little production of the sex hormone testosterone
• Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid makes too little thyroid hormone
• Osteoporosis, an abnormal loss of bone mass and changes in bone tissue caused by low estrogen levels
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs when the reproductive hormones in people with ovaries are unbalanced
• Thyroid nodules, fluid-filled lumps form in your thyroid

Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. At Anna Jaques, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to diabetes care.

Your doctor may use different tests to diagnose your diabetes. These can include blood and urine tests.

Your care team includes a doctor, nurse and nutritionist. They help you control your blood sugar and live an active life. Your treatment plan will focus on maintaining your health with exercise, nutrition and insulin if you need it. Your care may include:

• Diabetes self-management
• Foot care for diabetic ulcers or neuropathy
• Weight management
• Wound care

You can access information and support at the Anna Jaques Diabetes Education Clinic. We provide a comprehensive outpatient program if you are living with pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes or diabetes.

Our Diabetes Self-Management Education program is certified by the American Diabetes Association. We believe education can empower you to:

• Avoid the complications of diabetes
• Achieve an optimal health status
• Better manage your disease

If you have a diabetes diagnosis, talk with your primary care doctor about how to start a self-management program.

At Anna Jaques, we provide comprehensive care for endocrine conditions, including thyroid disorders. Your care team includes specialists in ear, nose and throat conditions, endocrinology, pathology, radiology, weight management and more.

Together, we create a personalized treatment plan to manage your diagnosis.