With Diabetes on the Rise, Prevention is Key – Diabetes Awareness with Kayleigh Gordon

“Diabetes and its complications hit close to home. I bet if you reach out, especially in Manitoba, there is someone in your circle who is affected by this disease,” – Kayleigh Gordon, staff pharmacist at Health Sciences Centre.

Kayleigh Gordon’s father tested his blood sugar out of pure curiosity, while socializing at a wedding. The simple test, performed on a friend’s monitor, identified that his blood sugars were too high, resulting in an appointment and formal diagnosis from his doctor.

“My dad really did not know he had diabetes. Similar to high blood pressure, it’s a medical condition you might not feel right away, and the symptoms are not always specific,” shared Gordon, a pharmacist in one of Health Sciences Centre’s hemodialysis units.

Diabetes is an imbalance between the amount of blood sugar (glucose) in your body compared to the amount of insulin you have available to use turn that glucose into energy, described Gordon. It is that imbalance that can lead to high blood sugars which over time causes damage to the body. Symptoms of high blood sugar include feeling more thirsty than usual, hunger, abnormally tired and needing to urinate often.

“The earlier you diagnose and start controlling it, the more likely you’ll have better long-term outcomes,” she shared.

Type One diabetes cannot be prevented and is often diagnosed earlier in life amongst young people identified as being unable to produce insulin. Type Two diabetes is preventable and often diagnosed later in life when the body is found to not be producing enough insulin to keep up with the glucose demand, and the insulin that is produced is less effective.

“Diabetes and its complications hit close to home and are fairly common, especially in Manitoba,” said Gordon, noting that roughly 29 percent of Manitobans are living with diabetes or prediabetes. “There is likely someone in your circle who is affected by this disease.” 

High glucose levels over an extended period of time can damage blood vessels leading to two types of complications; macrovascular and microvascular.

These complications, Gordon explained, can, (in the case of macrovascular), damage big blood vessels, and increase the chances of stroke, heart attack, and peripheral vascular disease affecting mainly the blood vessels in the legs.

Microvascular complications, caused by damage to the smaller blood vessels, cause poor vision, nerve pain and kidney disease. If the kidneys become too damaged, a patient may need hemodialysis, resulting in patient visits to clinicians like Gordon two to three times a week during their hemodialysis treatments.

“By the time I see patients with kidney disease in hemodialysis, I see a lot of end stage diabetes complications, things that we want to prevent from happening,” said Gordon, who encourages others to watch for symptoms and check in with their health-care provider.

“It’s important to take care of yourself and make small healthy choices, not overwhelming ones, but ones that are maintainable every day,” said Gordon, who shared a list of prevention tips:

• Be mindful of your food choices: nourish your body with fibrous foods and focus on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Avoid foods that have excessive sugar and saturated fats.
• Exercise regularly: try to get about 30 minutes of activity at least five days a week.
• Maintain a healthy body weight: this helps to improve blood sugar levels and improve how the body responds to insulin. A healthy body weight is required to be eligible for transplant surgeries.

*Always check your doctor or other qualified health-care providers for personalized medical advice.

Alongside lifestyle changes, there are many new medications which have additional heart and kidney protection benefits, which can be used in combination with traditional first-line medications such as Metformin. Coverage eligibility has also been expanding for continuous glucose monitors and new medications such as semaglutide (Ozempic), which also offers additional weight-loss benefits.  

“There are more medications and tools available now than ever before,” said Gordon. “My hope is that these new options become more accessible for all, decreasing complications in the long term, empowering people to make changes and take care of their health, and ultimately decreasing stress on our health-care system.”

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Shared Health recognizes the important and ongoing work health-care staff provide in support of the many Manitobans living with diabetes. For more information about diabetes, visit Diabetes Canada and talk to your Manitoba health-care provider.

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