Take Control at UT Health San Antonio
UT Health San Antonio is home to one of the most advanced diabetes treatment and research programs in the world. The physicians and scientists of UT Health have been leading the way in type 1 and type 2 diabetes with breakthroughs that directly translate to better health for people with diabetes. Led by the renowned endocrinologist, nephrologist and researcher, Dr. Ralph DeFronzo, the diabetes team includes endocrinologists, certified diabetes educators (CDEs), registered dietitians, nurses and nurse practitioners. Diabetes is a disease that affects the whole body, which is why every UT Health patient benefits from having our multidisciplinary team managing their diabetes. Each of our specialists provides their specific expertise in caring for our patients, offering a comprehensive approach to diabetes care.
What is Diabetes?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30 million Americans have diabetes. It is estimated that an additional 7.2 million Americans have diabetes but do not know it. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Type 1 generally occurs at a younger age but it can occur at any age. About 5% of individuals with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is not producing adequate insulin or insulin is not working properly. This is typically caused by overeating. About 95% of individuals with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of type 2 diabetes that women get when they are pregnant. Diabetes is the leading cause of heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and amputation and many other serious conditions. Our team is here to help you develop an individualized diabetes care plan to include lifestyle modifications and medication if needed. Learn more about diabetes in our health library here. More about type 2 diabetes. More about type 1 diabetes. More about Gestational diabetes. You may want to visit the website of the American Diabetes Association, or for type 1 diabetes, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
About Dr. DeFronzo
Dr. Ralph DeFronzo, graduated from Yale University with a degree in biology and biochemistry before going on to Harvard Medical School and further studies in endocrinology and nephrology. Dr. DeFronzo holds the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Distinguished Chair in Diabetes in the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, where he has been on faculty since 1988. Dr. DeFronzo is directly responsible for many of the advances achieved in diabetes over the last 50 years. He was a leader in developing the concept of insulin resistance, the defining characteristic of Type 2 diabetes, resulting in novel ideas about the development and progression of diabetes. DeFronzo led the U.S. development of metformin, the first-line medication for treatment of diabetes, and ushered it through FDA approval in 1995. More recently, he discovered a new approach to diabetes treatment that targets glucose reabsorption in the kidneys. This work led to the development and approval of other widely used drugs, including dapagliflozin, empagliflozin and canagliflozin. His most recent work, along with Dr. Bruno Doiron, has led to a possible cure for diabetes in mice and is being developed for studies in larger animals. In 2017, DeFronzo won the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes, one of many titles he has held. In 2005 he received the Novartis Award at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as the outstanding clinical investigator worldwide. In 2002 he received the Albert Renold Award from the ADA for the training of more than 200 young diabetes investigators. He is also the author of 750 publications dating back to 1967.