Final answer:
Long-term diabetes control is gauged using regular blood glucose testing and is essential to prevent complications like heart disease or kidney failure. Lifestyle changes, medications, or insulin are used for management. Advancements in treatment offer different options for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Long-term control of diabetes is critical for preventing serious health complications such as loss of eyesight, heart disease, and kidney failure. It involves frequent blood glucose testing to monitor levels over time and assess the effectiveness of treatment. For those with type 2 diabetes, lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, and maintaining a normal body weight can not only control but sometimes even reverse the progression of the disease. When lifestyle changes are not enough, medications or insulin injections might be needed. Long-term complications due to uncontrolled diabetes occur mainly from damage to small blood vessels leading to increased risk of coronary artery disease and stroke, along with potential vision loss, chronic kidney disease, and diabetic neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves of the body. The historic first-line treatment has been insulin; however, advancements in research have provided alternative medication options that enhance pancreatic function, helping control high blood glucose levels, or hyperglycemia, without insulin. Despite potential initial shock following a diabetes diagnosis, understanding that diabetes's risks can be managed through vigilant monitoring and control is crucial.