•  Diabetes Center •  Pocket Checklist for Doctor Visits

Every person with diabetes should visit a doctor at least every three months. Regular checkups allow your doctor to track your condition and, if necessary, make changes in your treatment plan.

But what should happen during those checkups? Do you wonder why your doctor orders certain tests? Or what the numbers mean? The American Diabetes Association has recently released new guidelines covering all aspects of diabetes care, including doctors' visits. This summary of the ADA's recommendations will help you know what to expect from your next visit. If you still wonder why your doctor has ordered a test -- or not ordered a test -- be sure to ask the doctor directly.

The ADA has different guidelines for what should happen on diagnosis, at each visit, every three months, and once a year.

1. When you are diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor should provide a pneumococcal vaccine for protection against pneumonia, unless you have already been vaccinated. This vaccination does not have to be renewed each year. When you turn 65, however, you should receive another vaccine if you haven't had one in the last five years.

2. At each visit, a doctor should do the following:

•Ask about your self-monitoring of blood sugar

•Ask about frequency and severity of episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)

•Check your weight

•Measure your blood pressure

•Carefully inspect your legs and feet (including between the toes) for sores

•Ask about your medication use

•Answer questions about the disease and educate you about self-care

•Check on any diabetic complications, including symptoms of nerve damage such as numbness

•Ask about your use of tobacco and/or alcohol

•Ask you about any lifestyle changes and discuss the consequences

•Talk to you about possible stress, depression, or other psychological issues

•Ask you about your exercise and eating habits

•Follow up on anything suspicious from previous physical exams

3. Every three months, a doctor should collect a blood sample from you to measure the percentage of blood cells that are attached to molecules of sugar. This measurement, called hemoglobin A1c or HbA1c, gives a clear picture of your blood sugar control over the previous months. The HbA1c reading for a person without diabetes is usually below 6 percent. A person who has poor control of blood sugar will typically have an HbA1c over 8 percent.

4. At least once a year, a doctor should take these steps:

•Conduct a general physical exam

•Conduct a comprehensive exam of the feet

•Conduct a comprehensive exam of the eyes (including a dilated retina exam) to check for any signs of damage to blood vessels

•Check the urine for protein, a sign of kidney damage

•Record patient's height as well as weight

•Measure levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood

•Provide an influenza vaccine

1. Hemoglobin (HbA1c) Measurement

Ideally, your HbA1c should be less than 7 percent. Patients who achieve this sort of control are at lower risk for heart disease, blindness, kidney damage, and nerve damage. However, this goal doesn't apply to everyone. If you have severe complications, talk with your doctor about the best options for you.

In most cases, a HbA1c reading over 8 percent is a call for action. It may be a sign that you need to change your medications or step up your self-care. Your doctor may also want to refer you to an endocrinologist (a specialist in diabetes and other metabolic disorders).

2. Eye Examinations

Doctors who find anything suspicious should refer patients to an ophthalmologist experienced in treating diabetic retinopathy (damage to blood vessels in the eyes). In addition, adults and teens with type 1 diabetes should see an ophthalmologist or optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam within 3 to 5 years of being diagnosed with diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes should have a thorough eye exam by an ophthalmologist or optometrist shortly after being diagnosed. An annual eye exam for both type 1 and type 2 patients is a good idea, though your eye doctor may suggest getting an exam less frequently if you don't have any problems with your eyes.

Any woman with diabetes who becomes pregnant should have a comprehensive eye exam promptly, as pregnancy increases the risk of eye trouble. Even better, women who are planning ahead should have an eye exam before getting pregnant.

3. Blood Pressure

Your goal is a pressure less than 130/80 mmHg.. Patients who manage to keep their pressure under control are less likely to suffer heart attacks, blindness, or kidney damage.

Before starting any treatment to lower blood pressure, a doctor should check the pressure on two occasions within one month. Treatment should start immediately, however, if the diastolic pressure (the bottom number in a reading) is over 100 mmHg or the systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) is over 160 mmHg.

4. Cholesterol

Ideally, the level of LDL ("bad") cholesterol should be below 100 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Many patients with diabetes far exceed this limit, putting them at increased risk for atherosclerosis (a type of hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. If your cholesterol tests don't raise any alarms, your doctor may wait two years before checking again.

Children over two years of age should have their cholesterol measured as soon their blood sugar is under control. If the readings are normal and there is no family history of high cholesterol, a doctor can wait until the child turns 12, then screen every five years thereafter.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Further Resources

American Diabetes Association

800/342-2382

http://www.diabetes.org

Joslin Diabetes Center

617/732-2400

http://www.joslin.org The Unofficial Guide to Living with Diabetes, Maria Thomas, Loren Green, M.D. Macmillan Publishers

References

First published February 22, 2002
Last updated December 10, 2007
Copyright © 2002 Consumer Health Interactive

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