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Re-Typing Diabetes

22 views · Published 11 December 2015 · 2:06 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

Just a few short years ago diabetes was declared an epidemic in this country. It has impacted Tom Keerl’s loved ones.

“I do not have it. But I do know many people that do. So I know it’s very mainstream,” says Keerl.

Safe to say most people have an awareness of the disease, but few grasp its potential. The American Diabetes Association estimates 1 in 3 Americans will have it by 2050.

“There’s 86 million people in this country with pre-diabetes alone and then another 30 million that have diabetes,” says Dr. Victoria Yorke, who is a family medicine physician with Lee Memorial Health System.

Fueled by rapid increases in type 2 diabetes; brought on by lifestyle: people weighing too much, and exercising too little. As bad as it is, things could get worse. Doctors are now treating patients with what’s being called type 3 diabetes.

“So what happens is they have type 2 diabetes which is insulin resistance. But then the pancreas just wears out. So now they don’t make any insulin. So they develop type 1 diabetes and type 2. Now we call that type 3,” says Dr. Yorke.

This double-whammy is harder to control. Doctors keep upping insulin dosages to try to manage it. The stakes are high, as they learn about the implications and additional health risks linked to this heightened type of diabetes.

“Diabetes can even cause vascular disease in the brain, and contribute to memory loss, dementia,” says Dr. Yorke.

Strong evidence links this advanced diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease. The long-term effect of low insulin: allowing plaque to form in the brain. The threat is prompting doctors to redouble their diabetes efforts.

“Just because you’re put on the medicine you feel like ‘okay I’ll just keep increasing, keep increasing my medicine’. The damage is still happening. So you want to try and keep it under control here- before you get to over here,” says Dr. Yorke.

It’s a cautionary tale according to tom.

“More people have to understand the symptoms and the consequences,” says Keerl.

Beyond re-typing diabetes, experts hope to be re-shaping the conversation.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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Re-Typing Diabetes

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