Diabetes Center
Our goal at the Diabetes Center is to give patients the tools necessary to successfully manage the day-to-day challenges of living with diabetes and prevent long-term diabetes complications. We provide comprehensive management and education for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We focus on lifestyle interventions and use the latest medications and technologies to improve our patients’ health.
We also treat patients with:
- Pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Lipid or cholesterol abnormalities
Our nationally recognized doctors and nurse practitioners work as a team to address our patients’ needs in managing diabetes and other conditions.
We understand that living with diabetes presents challenges. We focus on education and making patients their own advocates. Through the most current and state-of-the-art treatments, we will help them better manage their care.
Our Approach
Oral Medications
There are several classes of oral diabetes medications that we may prescribe if patients have type 2 diabetes. These medications differ in the way they work to reduce blood glucose levels. Frequently, oral medications from different classes are used in combination.
- Sulfonylureas: These drugs increase the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.
- Meglitinides: These drugs rapidly increase the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.
- Biguanides: Metformin is the only biguanide on the market. It is thought to work by reducing the production of glucose in the liver.
- Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors: These medications reduce the amount of glucose absorbed in the intestines.
- Thiazolidinediones: This agent makes the body more sensitive to insulin.
- Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors): These drugs increase the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas after a meal and reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
Injection Therapies
There are several classes of injection therapies for diabetes. These treatments are given by an injection under the skin. The most common injection therapy is insulin, which comes in many different formulations that differ in how fast they work and how long they last. Below is a list of the different types of insulins.
Technologies and Experimental Treatments
- Insulin Pumps: Insulin pumps were first pioneered at Yale in the 1970s. An insulin pump is an electronic, pager-sized, battery-powered device that delivers insulin continuously through a small plastic catheter under the skin. Insulin is delivered in different amounts (“basal” or “bolus” levels) during the day and controlled by the patient. While fasting, patients will administer a low level of continuous “basal” insulin to keep their blood glucose in the normal range. Prior to meals, they will determine a “bolus” of insulin based on the amount of carbohydrates in the meal.
- Continuous Glucose Monitoring systems (CGM): A CGM is a device that measures glucose under the skin (also known as “interstitial” glucose) every five minutes throughout the day. The “interstitial” glucose readings are transmitted and displayed on a pager-sized monitor and allow patients to see live glucose data with trends and alarms for hypoglycemia and severe hyperglycemia.
- Islet Cell Transplantation: This is an experimental procedure in which healthy pancreatic cells are taken from a donor and are implanted into a person with diabetes. The islet beta cells begin to make and release insulin.
