Diabetes Care

Managing diabetes is a team effort, and our endocrinologists, certified care and education specialists, and dietitians are with you every step of the way. We’ll help you control your blood sugar levels and blood pressure and develop a lifestyle plan that works for you.

Types of Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. There are three primary types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Types 1 and 2 increase your risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and more. Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women, who may have greater problems during delivery and have larger babies.

Type 1 diabetes, previously called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that can occur in children and adults at any age. For reasons not entirely understood, your immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, your body produces little to no insulin to regulate blood sugar and get energy from food. Glucose is locked out of the cells, leading to high levels in the bloodstream.

More common type 2 diabetes can result when the pancreas is producing insulin but the cells are not responding to it the way they should. Less glucose enters your cells, leading to high levels in your bloodstream. Over time, your pancreas stops making insulin, and you will need to begin insulin injections.

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that begins, or is first discovered, during pregnancy. It may occur when pregnancy-related hormones hinder insulin from acting properly, causing increased blood glucose levels. Through treatment, blood sugar levels usually return to normal after delivery. 

Diabetes Diagnosis at Virtua

Diabetes is diagnosed through a series of blood tests that check your blood sugar levels.

Type 1 diabetes tests:

• Random (casual) blood sugar test, which measures the amount of glucose in your bloodstream at a specific moment in time
• Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test, which measures the average amount of glucose in your bloodstream over the past 90 days as a percentage

Type 2 diabetes tests:

• Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test
• Random blood sugar test
• Fasting blood sugar test, conducted after an overnight fast

Gestational diabetes test:

• An oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, or earlier depending on risk, administered by your OB/GYN or midwife (consult your provider to learn more).

Diabetes Treatment at Virtua

Our endocrinologists help you manage your diabetes and overall health to significantly lower your risk for long-term complications.

During regular visits, your care team checks your blood sugar, blood pressure levels, and weight and adjusts your medication and insulin dosage, if needed. 

You also may be referred to other specialists, including a dietitian, eye doctor, and podiatrist, to help manage your symptoms.

Moms-to-be with gestational diabetes are generally cared for by their OB/GYN or midwife. Talk with your provider for more specific information. 

Diabetes Nutrition Counseling and Self-Management

Our certified diabetes care and education specialists are an important part of your diabetes care team, helping people manage diabetes through diet and education. If you have diabetes, our team teaches evidence-based self-care behaviors to help you adopt healthy eating and exercise habits, understand and properly use diabetes technology, develop problem-solving skills, and understand how your medications work.