ABSTRACT

This chapter presents ten pearls of wisdom for general practitioners (GPs) for better care of patients with diabetes-related problems and for more efficient use of resources. These pearls have been acquired from years of experience and evidence-based study by specialists in the field. Conventional teaching suggests that a person who develops diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) must have Type 1 diabetes (T1D). There is, however, a subset of patients who develop DKA who in fact have Type 2 diabetes (T2D). The chapter also presents advice on diagnoses often overlooked by GPs while handling patients with diabetes. Diagnoses of the following diseases/disorders are recommended: charcot neuroarthropathy, autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, monogenic diabetes, mitochondrial diabetes, and lipohypertrophy of injection sites. The chapter provides guidance on how to distinguish tricky differentials and finally a few tips on prescribing medications for these patients.