Fighting diabetes: An endocrinologist’s top concerns

NOVEMBER is diabetes awareness month, and if there is one thing everyone should be aware of, it is that they should get screened for it.

“Diabetes is a condition that can be treated, but if you don’t screen for it, by the time you discover your blood sugar is too high, you may have already suffered damage,” says Adjunct Associate Professor Khoo Chin Meng, head and senior consultant endocrinologist at the Department of Medicine, National University Hospital.

A chronic disease caused by a combination of factors including genetics, diet and lifestyle, diabetes is characterised by high levels of blood sugar in the body. The two main types of diabetes are type 1, which is an autoimmune disorder where the body doesn’t make any insulin (a hormone that turns blood sugar into energy); and type 2, where the body isn’t making enough insulin or what it makes isn’t working properly.