Sugar (or "glucose") is necessary for the cells in your body to function correctly. Much of the food you eat is converted into sugar that then becomes your body's fuel to give you energy. Insulin helps this process by helping your body to take in glucose to turn into fuel.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body is not able to process sugar in a healthy way. Therefore, cells in your body are not able to use the sugar that is available for energy.
There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1:
Type 2:
Diabetes is diagnosed by evaluation of the level of sugar in the blood. This is a simple finger prick test that requires just a small drop of blood. The level of sugar in the blood varies over the course of the day depending on level of activity and eating.
If there are questions about the diagnosis based on the simple finger stick test, further testing can confirm or rule out the diagnosis.
A team of health care professionals including doctors, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists and other providers work together using the treatments below to help you take care of your diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with:
All types of diabetes require paying attention to the foods that you eat and keeping a healthy diet.
Family Medicine doctors and the teams they work with take care of Diabetes every day.
If you or your child has diabetes, or you are concerned that you might, contact one of our family medicine locations to make an appointment.
Visit our Health Library to find out more about diabetes:
Your health information, right at your fingertips. Select MyUPMC to access your UPMC health information. For patients of UPMC-affiliated doctors in Central Pa, select UPMC Central Pa Portal. Patients of UPMC Cole should select the UPMC Cole Connect Patient Portal.
The portal for all UPMC patients EXCEPT those in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC patients in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC Cole patients receiving inpatient care.
