Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. It affects about 37 million Americans, including adults and youth. Diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, and is linked to some types of cancer.

Ask your primary care provider if you should talk with other health care professionals about your concerns. It takes a team to manage diabetes but remember—you are the most important participant in your diabetes care.

Watch this video and visit the NIDDK website to learn about managing diabetes and building a health care team: [ Ссылка ]

Transcript:

Diabetes management: it takes a team.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high.

It affects about 37 million American adults and children — that’s 11% of the U.S. population.

Diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, and is linked to some types of cancer. But there’s also good news.

Research shows that managing your diabetes as early as possible after being diagnosed can help prevent many of these health problems.

So how can you better manage your diabetes and improve your health? Well, it takes a team.

Ask your primary care doctor if you should talk with other health care professionals about your concerns.

Your diabetes care team can include
- a nutritionist
- diabetes educator
- pharmacist
- or a variety of other health care professionals.

Your team can help develop a diabetes self-care plan and offer you the personal care you need.

A diabetes self-care plan can help you

- take your medications on time 
- develop healthy coping skills 
- monitor blood sugar levels
- create a healthy meal plan 
- stay physically active 
- and avoid diabetes health problems.

It takes a team to manage diabetes, but remember—you are the most important participant in your diabetes care.

Concerned about paying for care? You may be able to get help through private or government health insurance, diabetes education and support programs, or other programs that help people afford transportation, housing, and medicine.

Managing diabetes is not easy. But working with your diabetes care team can help improve your overall health and reduce your chances for other serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or kidney disease.

Visit niddk.nih.gov to learn more.

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