Diabetes Care

Diabetes is a serious condition which requires daily self-care. It can have a significant impact on the quality of your life and may reduce your life expectancy. While diabetes cannot be cured, it can be managed through consistent self-care and treatment. Diabetes type 2 can be silent, and many people don’t even know they have it which is why it’s important to get checked, especially if you are over 40 as risk increases with age – try the risk calculator now.

Diabetes is the fastest-growing chronic condition in Australia, increasing at a faster rate than other chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. 

When someone has diabetes, the levels of glucose in their blood (glycemia) are too high because their body is either not producing insulin or not producing enough insulin. Insulin is essential in converting sugar from what we eat and drink into the energy we need to perform daily activities.

The three main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. It’s important to know the warning signs for each type that may mean you’re at risk.


Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes accounts for 10% of all diabetes and often occurs during childhood but may occur at any age. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms are often sudden and can be life-threatening.

Protect your loved ones by learning the early warning signs – the 4 T’s of type 1 diabetes:

  • Thirsty – are they always thirsty and unable to quench that thirst?
  • Toilet – are they going to the toilet a lot?
  • Tired – are they more tired than usual?
  • Thinner – have they recently lost weight?

If you see these signs, make an appointment with your doctor at SmartClinics immediately.

Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 85% of all diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes often experience no apparent symptoms, which is referred to as ‘silent diabetes’.

During this time, type 2 diabetes can do serious harm and lead to:

  • Blindness
  • Kidney damage
  • Amputation
  • Heart attack and stroke

RISK CALCULATOR: Check your risk level now by answering ten short questions on the type 2 diabetes risk calculator.

Common symptoms include:

  • being more thirsty than usual
  • passing more urine
  • feeling tired and lethargic
  • slow healing wounds
  • itching and skin infections
  • blurred vision
  • gradually putting on weight

People are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes if they:

  • have a family history of diabetes
  • are over 55 years of age
  • are over 45 years of age and overweight
  • are over 45 years of age and have high blood pressure
  • are over 35 years of age and are from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Island, Indian Subcontinent or Chinese background
  • are a woman who has given birth to a child over 4.5 kgs, had gestational diabetes while pregnant, or had a condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

As risk increases with age, it’s essential that you see your GP for a general Health Check, especially if you are aged 40 or older. Many serious health conditions, like diabetes, can be avoided if you simply take the time to see your GP for some routine tests.


Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. It affects thousands of pregnant women and is diagnosed during pregnancy when higher-than-normal blood glucose levels first appear. It can often be managed with healthy eating and exercise, but sometimes drugs are also required. Your doctor at SmartClinics will be able to provide you with a treatment plan to help you manage the condition. In most cases, women with gestational diabetes have a healthy pregnancy, normal delivery and a healthy baby. Quite often, these women will no longer have diabetes after their baby is born, but sometimes they may continue to have high blood glucose levels afterwards.


Diabetes is serious but manageable

The aim of treatment is to keep you as healthy as possible. Although there is currently no cure for diabetes, you can live an enjoyable life by learning about the condition, and your GP at SmartClinics can help you effectively manage it. It is essential to consult your doctor at SmartClinics if you experience any symptoms or are at high risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Early diagnosis and treatment are the best way to reduce the risk of developing diabetes-related complications.

Doctors Offering Diabetes Care

Dr Imesha Rajakaruna

Dr Imesha Rajakaruna


English, Singhala


Ipswich


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Dr Rajesh

Dr Rajesh


English, Hindi, Sindhi, Urdu


Smithfield


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Dr Daniel Han

Dr Daniel Han


English


Clayfield


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Dr Tom Frogbrooke

Dr Tom Frogbrooke


English


Smithfield


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Dr Preeti Gupta

Dr Preeti Gupta


English, Hindi, Punjabi


Corinda


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Dr Ankush Goyal

Dr Ankush Goyal


English, Hindi, Punjabi


Corinda


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Dr Mrunali Nar

Dr Mrunali Nar


English


West End


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Dr Anmar Aydami

Dr Anmar Aydami


English


Taigum


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Dr Rochana

Dr Rochana Chandraratne


English, Sinhalese


Pullenvale


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Anshu Sarikwal - Podiatrist

Anshu Sarikwal - Podiatrist


English, Hindi


Annerley, Corinda, Windsor, Carseldine


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Dr Farzana Rahman

Dr Farzana Rahman


Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu


Manunda


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Dr Dean Adit

Dr Dean Adit


English, Malay


Windsor


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Dr Janaka Abeysirigunawardana

Dr Janaka Abeysirigunawardana


English, Russian, Sinhalese


Mango Hill


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Dr Celina Chuo

Dr Celina Chuo


English, Malay


Annerley


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Dr Cheng Guo


English, Mandarin


Chermside


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Dr Hayley Waddell


English


Annandale


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Dr Ashleigh Lazzarini

Dr Ashleigh Lazzarini


English


Taigum


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Dr Subrata Aditya


Bengali, English


Annerley


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Dr Madhu Lakshmaiah


English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu


Chermside


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Dr Amitosh Mondal

Dr Amitosh Mondal


English


Chermside


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Dr Shahram Sadeghi


English, Farsi Persian, Kurdish, Turkish


Clayfield


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Dr Jennifer Power


English


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Dr Xiaoping (Angie) Jiang


Cantonese, English, Mandarin


Smithfield


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Dr Arash Payervand


English, Farsi Persian


Ipswich


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Dr Raymond Collins


English


Carseldine


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Dr Shaheed Moideen


English, Hindi, Malayalam, Russian


Taigum


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Dr Helen Tumusiime


English


Annerley


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Dr Ion Constantinescu


English, Romanian


Annerley


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Dr Suraiya Akter


Bengali, English


West End


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Doctor Sally Trenorden

Dr Sally Trenorden


English


Clayfield


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Dr Matt Mousavifard


English, Farsi Persian


Taigum


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Dr John Bennett


English


Toowong


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Dr Dilip Dhupelia


English, Gujerati


Toowong


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Dr Stewart McQuade


English


Arundel Parkwood


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Dr Sukhbir Patheja


English


Arundel Parkwood


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Dr Ebby Patel


English, Gujerati, Hindi, Urdu, Zulu


West End, Toowong


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Dr Gurpreet Singh-Sodhi


English, Hindi, Punjabi


Windsor


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Dr Gagandeep Sodhi


English, Hindi, Punjabi


Windsor


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Dr Yvonne Ho


Cantonese, English


Carseldine


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Dr-Helen-Browne

Dr Helen Browne


English


Corinda


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Dr Ben Gordon


English


Corinda


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Dr Frank Occhin

Dr Frank Occhino


English, Italian


Corinda


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Dr Milivoje Tomasevic

Dr Milivoje Tomasevic


Bosnian, Croatian, English, Serbian


Arundel Parkwood


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Dr Dip Chand


English, Fijian, Hindi


Chermside, Carseldine


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