M L HEALTH
LOOKING AFTER TYPE 2 DIABETES POST-PANDEMIC
by Professor Frank Joseph , Consultant in Diabetes , Endocrinology and internal medicine at Spire Liverpool Hospital .
As we come out of the pandemic , people with long term conditions such as Type 2 diabetes are recovering from its impact .
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar ( glucose ) in the blood to become too high . High blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory , nervous and immune systems . Type 2 diabetes is caused by problems with a chemical in the body called insulin and is often linked to being overweight or inactive , or having a family history of Type 2 diabetes .
Professor Frank Joseph who is a Consultant in Diabetes , Endocrinology and internal medicine for Spire Liverpool Hospital , came to Merseyside as a junior doctor 22 years ago and has made his career here . We asked him how the pandemic has affected them …
What changed for patients over the last couple of years ? The pandemic made it extremely difficult as it meant we couldn ’ t carry out lot of the regular services that Type 2 diabetics usually access .
Type 2 diabetes is caused by several factors such as getting older , being overweight and not having a good diet . It ’ s different from Type 1 diabetes where the patient can ’ t produce their own insulin due to other reasons but both types consequently can ’ t regulate the sugars in their blood .
As we went through lockdown , a lot of ongoing care was interrupted for everyone – not just diabetics . Unfortunately , this meant we couldn ’ t review treatments on a regular basis or do regular blood tests to see how people were getting on .
Type 2 diabetes is usually treated by tackling the diet and exercise and using tablets such as metformin , and we continued to do this , but what we couldn ’ t do was follow up in the usual manner which would be every three to six months to make sure the treatments working correctly and that the patient is making those lifestyle changes .
What has that meant for people ? It ’ s left a lot of people with this long-term condition at a point where we need to get them back on track . We need to review everyone , and make sure they are on the right medication and assess if they need any further intervention .
So , we ’ ve been catching up as quickly as possible with our patients checking their blood work and finding out how well they are controlling their diabetes and whether we need to change their treatment .
Hand in hand with that comes checking kidney and liver function and cholesterol levels as well . Knowing all this information allows us to make sure patients are on the right regime for them .
How important is it to get reviewed ? As you can imagine it ’ s quite urgent that we see people as soon as we can so we can make sure everything is OK . Patients have been managing their own conditions for a long time , and while we couldn ’ t help that as we ’ ve been overwhelmed by the impact of Covid-19 , we now need to make sure everyone comes back into clinic for an update with their doctor .
If you leave your blood sugars unattended for a prolonged period of time , then you ’ re raising the risk of complications with your diabetes as the excess sugar in the blood stream causes furring of the arteries which can cause other problems further down the line .
Do Type 1 diabetics have the same problems ? They ’ re a bit different as Type 1 diabetics finger prick themselves much more regularly to check their blood sugar levels . So , complications are different for type 1 diabetics .
What should people be doing ? Go for your regular check up now that we can run clinics again . It ’ s time to take control of your health . We ’ re seeing a lot of people coming out of the pandemic very tired and fatigued so don ’ t leave it too long as you may have an issue that needs treating . I ’ m seeing patients who have had thyroid issues over the last couple of years so it ’ s important to come in and get checked out . Even if you ’ ve been managing things well and your diabetes is under control it ’ s good to know you ’ re doing the best for your health .
At Spire Liverpool Hospital , our consultants have wide experience in the latest techniques and innovations and our inclusive prices and access to 0 % finance options make the process easy and more affordable . For further information on our broad range of procedures , and to find out more about our team of expert Consultants , search ‘ Spire Liverpool ’ or call our specialist advisors on 0151 929 5408 .
60 merseylife . com