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      stroke

      Urgent Care Pre-Diabetes Screening
      Prediabetes Screening: How and Why? 1024 683 Statcare Urgent Medical Care

      Prediabetes Screening: How and Why?

      Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not quite high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. 1 in 3 U.S. adults have prediabetes. Most don’t know know it. Having prediabetes means that you are at an increased risk of developing serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

      You could have prediabetes if you have:

      • high cholesterol
      • high blood pressure
      • a parent, brother or sister with diabetes

      Your risk goes up if you are overweight, and/or over age 45.

      The Science of Prediabetes

      Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas and released into the bloodstream. When the body breaks down carbohydrates from the food we eat into glucose, also known as blood sugar, insulin helps the body’s cells absorb the glucose and use it for energy.

      If the cells that respond to insulin lose sensitivity, a condition known as insulin resistance develops. When people have insulin resistance, although the body still produces insulin, it is not used effectively, causing glucose to build up in the blood instead of being absorbed by cells. This increase in blood glucose leads to prediabetes, and eventually type 2 diabetes, if left untreated.

      The American Diabetes Association recommends one of the 3 screening tests to diagnose prediabetes:

      1. Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test
      2. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test
      3. Oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) test

      We offer all 3 screening tests to diagnose prediabetes at our clinics. No appointment is necessary and you’ll only wait minutes to be seen. You can call ahead at (855) 9 FOR DOC and let us know you’re on the way or you can check in online.

      Urgent Care Headaches Strokes
      Learn to identify the signs of a stroke. Act F.A.S.T! 1024 695 Statcare Urgent Medical Care

      Learn to identify the signs of a stroke. Act F.A.S.T!

      A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off or when a blood vessel bursts. Stroke kills more than 130,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 20 deaths. Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.

      If you think that you or someone else is having a stroke, call 911 immediately.       All the major symptoms of stroke appear suddenly, and often there is more than one symptom at the same time. With timely treatment, the risk of death and disability from stroke can be lowered. By knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke, you can be prepared to take quick action and perhaps save a life—maybe even your own.

      Take a few minutes to learn the five major signs and symptoms of a stroke:

      • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms, or legs
      • Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding others
      • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
      • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
      • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

      If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T and do the following simple test:

      F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

      A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

      S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?

      T—Time: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.

      Note the time when any symptoms first appear. Some treatments for stroke only work if given in the first 3 hours after symptoms appear. Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.

      Source: CDC

      HTN, High BP, High blood pressure, SBP, DBP, systolic, diastolic
      What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? 640 473 Statcare Urgent Medical Care

      What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

      What is blood pressure?

      Blood pressure is the amount of force that our blood puts on our artery walls as it moves through our body. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from our heart to the rest of our body. When our heart beats, it pushes our blood through our arteries. As the blood moves, it puts pressure on our artery walls. This is called our blood pressure.

      What is high blood pressure?

      High blood pressure (also called hypertension) occurs when our blood moves through our arteries at a higher pressure than normal. There are many causes of high blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage many parts of the body. If one has high blood pressure, it increases risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and kidney failure. Controlling one’s blood pressure can reduce these risks.

      What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

      If you are looking for a list of symptoms and signs of high blood pressure, you won’t find them here. This is because most of the time, there are none. High blood pressure is a largely symptom-less “silent killer.” If you ignore your blood pressure because you think a certain symptom or sign will alert you to the problem, you are taking a dangerous chance with your life.

      • In most cases, high blood pressure does not cause headaches or nosebleeds.
      • Blood spots in the eyes (subconjunctival hemorrhage) are more common in people with diabetes or high blood pressure, but neither condition causes the blood spots. Floaters in the eyes are also not related to high blood pressure.
      • Facial flushing occurs when blood vessels in the face dilate. It can occur unpredictably or in response to certain triggers such as sun exposure, cold weather, spicy foods, wind, hot drinks and skin-care products. Facial flushing can also occur with emotional stress, exposure to heat or hot water, alcohol consumption and exercise — all of which can raise blood pressure temporarily. While facial flushing may occur while your blood pressure is higher than usual, high blood pressure is not the cause of facial flushing.
      • While dizziness can be a side effect of some blood pressure medications, it is not caused by high blood pressure. However, dizziness should not be ignored, especially if the onset is sudden. Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination and trouble walking are all warning signs of a stroke. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke.

      About 85 million Americans – one out of every three adults over age 20 – have high blood pressure. (Nearly 20% don’t even know they have it.) The best way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.

      Walk-in to any of our clinics, get your blood pressure checked and talk to our providers. No appointment is necessary at our clinics and you’ll only wait minutes to be seen. You can call ahead at (855) 9 FOR DOC and let us know you’re on the way or you can check in online.

      Source: AHA

      diabetes
      The ABCs of diabetes 922 720 Statcare Urgent Medical Care

      The ABCs of diabetes

      What can I do to stay as healthy as possible if I have diabetes? — If you have diabetes (sometimes called diabetes mellitus), the most important thing you can do is to control your “ABCs”:

      ●”A” stands for “A1C” – A1C is a blood test that shows what your average blood sugar level has been during the last few months.

      ●”B” stands for “blood pressure” – If you have diabetes, controlling your blood pressure is just as important as controlling your blood sugar. High blood pressure puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

      ●”C” stands for “cholesterol” – Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood. High cholesterol is another factor that increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious problems.

      Why are my ABCs so important? — Compared with people who do not have diabetes, people who have diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. People with diabetes also have heart attacks at a younger age, and that are more severe and more deadly. Plus, people with diabetes are much more likely to get kidney disease. By keeping your ABCs under control, you can lower your risk of these problems by a lot.

      Stop by any of our clinics to get your blood pressure checked as well as get your A1C and cholesterol levels checked.

       

      Note: Cholesterol levels are accurate when drawn after fasting for at least 8-12 hours. Drinking water is allowed.

      Urgent Care Assesses Heart Risk
      Understanding my cardiovascular risk 1024 576 Statcare Urgent Medical Care

      Understanding my cardiovascular risk

      The American Heart Association has guidelines and recommendations for estimating one’s cardiovascular disease risk. Risk assessment is extremely important since it shows if one is at a high risk of cardiovascular disease and if so, what can be done to address any cardiovascular risk factors one may have.

      Risk assessments are used to determine the likelihood of a patient developing cardiovascular disease, heart attack or stroke in the future. They are calculated using a number of factors including age, gender, race, cholesterol levels, blood pressure reading, diabetes and smoking status. Typically, these factors are used to estimate one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years.

      Calculating the 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease using risk factors is recommended every 4-6 years in patients 20-79 years old who are free from cardiovascular disease.

      Stop by any of our clinics to get your yearly labs done. Once we have the lab results, we will be able to calculate your 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk accurately. We can discuss the implications of the findings and can also weigh the risk and benefits of various treatments and lifestyle changes to help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

      Note: Cholesterol levels are accurate when drawn after fasting for at least 8-12 hours. Drinking water is allowed.

      Source: AHA

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