How to Avoid Diabetes Complications

Diabetes Complications: Blood Glucose Matters

You can reduce your risk of all potential damage by keeping your blood glucose levels in control. That means staying in your target range (typically, 70-120 mg/dl) on daily blood glucose tests, whether you take oral medication and/or insulin or you manage with diet and exercise alone. To see how you are doing overall, get an A1C blood test at least twice a year. The A1C target is under 7 percent and may be lower for you depending on what your doctor says.

The Good News: Good blood glucose control really helps reduce the risk of diabetic complications, as demonstrated by a major study, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, in the 1990s. "And this is true for people who've already developed some complications as well. Keeping your glucose levels in range can help stop the progression of all complications, and improve quality of life -- because you'll feel better, too," says Amparo Gonzalez, CDE, 2008 president of the American Association for Diabetes Educators (AADE).

There are other things you can do as well. Click on the next slide for specifics.