November is Diabetes Awareness Month

These conditions frequently co-exist and can be complicated to treat because they increase a persons risk of cardiac disease (heart attack, heart failure, and stroke), peripheral vascular disease (narrowing and blocking of blood vessels outside the heart and brain), retinopathy (damage to the retina in the eye), and nephropathy (kidney disease).

IDENTIFYING HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES

Monitors for measuring blood pressure and blood glucose are available at pharmacies to help patients understand and manage their conditions.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) typically does not have any symptoms and must be measured to determine BP levels. Due to it’s complicated nature, patients with both diabetes and hypertension are considered high
risk and have specific thresholds and targets.

*Source: 2020 Hypertension Canada Guidelines for the Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Hypertension.

TARGET BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS

There are different types of diabetes, but in general people with diabetes either do not have enough insulin to produce glucose, or their insulin does not work effectively. The result is elevated levels of sugar in the blood and urine.

The symptoms of high blood sugar include:
• Excessive thirst and frequent need to urinate
• Weakness and tiredness
• Blurred vision

Blood sugar levels can be checked accurately at home by taking a small blood sample and using a glucose monitor to analyse it. A1C is a measurement of one’s average blood sugar control over 2-3 months where 50% of the value is from the last month.