Chronic Disease Management in Dallas

Internists Providing Comprehensive Wellness Services

Many American adults have chronic diseases such as heart, lung, or kidney disease, or diabetes. Failing to manage your chronic disease can have serious consequences that could shorten your life and significantly impact your quality of life. For instance, high blood pressure typically has no symptoms, but if undetected and untreated for too long, it can damage your vascular system and ultimately cause a stroke or heart attack. Another example of a potentially fatal illness is uncontrolled diabetes, the number one reason for leg amputations and a common cause of blindness in adults.

Here at Hillcrest Internal Medicine in Dallas, we work diligently to provide all our patients with the best care modern medicine can offer. For patients with chronic illnesses, we strive to empower them with knowledge, tools, and resources they need to manage their conditions as best they can. Although having a chronic disease can be painful or and distressing, you can thrive when your condition is managed effectively. Our board-certified internal medicine physicians work hard to provide every patient with the individualized attention they need to manage their disease successfully.

Chronic Diseases We Treat

We treat the following:

• Arthritis: This common, painful condition causes joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness that worsens over time. Its symptoms can cause mild discomfort or complete immobility. If you think you have arthritis, there is help. In many cases, medication management may be all that is necessary for pain management and pain-free movement.
• Asthma: This respiratory disease is caused by a lung inflammation that makes it more difficult to breathe. Asthmatics may have symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma flare-ups occur intermittently and may have specific triggers such as allergies, cold/dry weather, or overexertion. While there is no cure for asthma, symptoms are manageable.
• Type 2 diabetes: High blood sugar leads to type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body cannot process the glucose (sugars) you consume. Over time, serious problems can result if you are statistically one in four adults with type 2 diabetes who are unaware you have the condition. This is why regular preventive medicine and annual physical exams are essential. A simple blood test can identify whether you are at risk for or have type 2 diabetes. Without treatment, diabetes can damage the nerves, kidneys, heart, and eyes. Treatment may include oral medication or insulin injections and lifestyle changes such as losing weight.
• Heart disease: Called a “silent killer,” heart disease often has no symptoms until a serious cardiac event occurs like a stroke or heart attack. That’s why it’s essential to be screened regularly for hypertension (see below) and other factors that increase your risk of heart disease. If you’re living with heart disease, our doctors will give you the necessary information for you to manage your condition. That’s why a long-term doctor/patient relationship with an internist is so important, they can provide you with effective treatment options most likely to work for you and improve your health.
• Hypertension: High blood pressure is a common cause of heart disease, but it often goes undetected until a serious heart condition occurs. Hypertension has no obvious symptoms until it has damaged your heart or cardiovascular system and caused an event such as a heart attack. While hypertension cannot be cured, you can effectively manage it with lifestyle changes and medication.
• High cholesterol: This waxy, fatty substance in the blood (cholesterol) can be found through a standard blood test. It’s important to have your cholesterol levels monitored at least once every 5 years to check for high cholesterol levels, which can narrow and clog your arteries and lead to a heart attack. Ongoing treatment for high cholesterol includes diet, exercise, and possibly medication management.
• Thyroid disease: The thyroid is a hormone-producing gland that regulates many bodily functions, including metabolism. A blood test can identify thyroid problems and thyroid hormone production levels to better control your metabolism and improve symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, being under- or overweight, and improving sleep. There is no cure for thyroid disease, but it can be effectively managed through thyroid hormone medication to correct imbalances.
• And more

Do you need an internist who can help you with chronic disease management in Dallas? Contact us at Hillcrest Internal Medicine today for an appointment by calling (469) 830-9600 or reach out online for a quick response.