By james art 
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in Louisiana. More than 505,000 inhabitants in the state have been diagnosed with diabetes and another 113,000 Louisiana residents have diabetes, but they do not know it. Fortunately, doctors at the Batton Rouge Clinic are well aware of the diabetes screening, as well as the development of high quality plans for the treatment of diagnosed ones.
Dr. Katie Hammond, an internist at the Batton Rouge clinic, said diabetes examinations usually start at the age of 35, but may start earlier if a person has risk factors such as being overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol , a history of heart disease or a family history of diabetes.
Dr. Hammond said the most common diabetes screening is a blood test that measures a person’s hemoglobin levels of a person.
“It gives us a good idea of what their sugar has been like in the last three months,” she said. If the number A1C is between 5.7 and 6.4, the person is usually categorized as pre-diabetic, but if the number is 6.5 or higher, the person is diagnosed with diabetes.
“Most of the patients we diagnose are completely asymptomatic,” said Dr. Hammond. “If they show symptoms such as frequent urination and drinking lots of water, this usually means that their sugar is quite high.”
If one is diagnosed with diabetes, The Baton Rouge Clinic applies a personalized approach to care for it. “Some people can manage their diabetes with lifestyle changes, but in other people we need to add medicines to their treatment. The number of patients tells us what we should do in terms of medicines, ”said Dr. Hammond.
People who are diagnosed with diabetes are encouraged to plan regular examinations with their primary physician, eye doctor, orthopedist, dentist and other specialists to have routine examinations for diabetes -related complications. In addition, people are urging them to monitor healthy parameters such as blood sugar, A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol. Finally, changes in lifestyle, such as adhering to a healthy diet, physical activity, avoiding smoking, sufficient sleep and reducing stress, can have a positive effect.
Proper diabetes management can have many benefits, including increased energy, less fatigue and lower risk of advanced complications such as stroke, kidney damage, vision problems and pain or tingling in the hands and feet.
Primary Medical Doctors at The Baton Rouge Clinic are experts in screening and treating patients with diabetes. To learn more or make an appointment with one of our certified doctors, please visit www.batonrougeclinic.comS