The St. Clair Hospital Diabetes Center Provides Education, Collaboration, and Care

By Andrew Wilson

When a person has diabetes, there are a lot of important numbers to be aware of. They need to be aware of their blood sugar reading, insulin dosage, and A1C levels. Perhaps the most sobering numbers are that approximately 37 million Americans have diabetes – that’s about one in every ten people – and according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 8.5 million are undiagnosed.

November is National Diabetes Month, and if there is one thing that Allison Caparoula, MS, RDN, CDCES, a diabetes educator with St. Clair Health, would like to impart to the public, it’s that diabetes education is an important tool in managing diabetes.

“Diabetes self-management training is underutilized,” she said. “People come in expecting a lecture, but it is a collaborative process. We want to support them in any way we can.”

There is a lot to learn about diabetes. First, there isn’t a single type, and which type you have will determine how best to treat it. It begins with insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps the body regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. For some people with diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin and for others it doesn’t produce any at all.

“The main differences are that Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the pancreas stops producing insulin,” said Caparoula. “This type always results in patients needing insulin injections.” She added that this was originally referred to as “juvenile diabetes” because it was most commonly diagnosed in children under 21, but the reality is that Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age and 110 people are diagnosed with Type 1 every day.

Type 2 diabetes, which was once referred to as “adult-onset diabetes” is the most common type with approximately 28 million people in this category.

“Type 2 is marked by insulin resistance,” she said. “The body may be making insulin, but it isn’t making enough. There are a variety of medications available for this type of diabetes.”

The third type is gestational diabetes, a form that affects women during pregnancy.

“This is caused by hormones, and most often resolves when the baby is born,” said Caparoula. “Though there is an increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.”

As a diabetes educator, Caparoula says that the first step after being diagnosed is to focus on the basics, what she refers to as “survival skills.”

“We teach patients how to check their blood sugar regularly, take the correct amount of insulin, and how best to deal with low blood sugars,” she said, adding that training produces great benefits. “Training can lower your A1C, improve your quality of life, and help reduce hypoglycemia, or low blood sugars.”

A1C is a simple blood test that measures a person’s average blood sugar over a three-month period. People with higher A1C numbers are more likely to develop diabetes complications like heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and vision loss, to name just a few of the more common complications.

“The most challenging aspect for most people is nutrition,” said Caparoula. “Learning when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat takes some adjustment.”

There are advances in the treatment of diabetes on the horizon. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been around for several years, but the technology is really improving, particularly when connected to an insulin pump.

“A hybrid closed loop system is when insulin pumps work with a continuous glucose monitor to make adjustments to insulin delivery to help prevent high or low blood sugar,” she said. “Long-acting insulin that can be taken once weekly is being studied.”

There is also work being done on a closed loop insulin pump that can deliver both insulin and glucagon to prevent both high and low blood sugars. Nasal glucagon that can be administered quickly via a nasal spray was approved by the FDA in 2019 and offers a great alternative to the old glucagon kits that involved mixing components to make it usable.

Even with all of these advances, the best way to manage diabetes begins in the present with education and training.

“St. Clair has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for meeting and exceeding standards for diabetes care,” Caparoula said. “The ADA recommends diabetes self-management training at diagnosis, yearly, and if there are any changes in care.”

The St. Clair Hospital Diabetes Center is located at St. Clair Health’s Village Square Outpatient Center, 2000 Oxford Drive, Bethel Park, PA, 15102. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed or have had diabetes for years, the expert team of certified diabetes educators and registered dietitians will work in coordination with your physician to help you manage your condition. Learn more by calling (412) 942-2151.