A Practitioner's Simple Mnemonic for Managing Diabetes: “GLUCOSE BAD”

• “GLUCOSE BAD”- simple mnemonic to assist the practitioner in the treatment and management of the diabetic patient
• Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States
• Complications include eye, kidney and heart disease, and lower limb amputation
• Guidelines and standards of care set by the American Diabetes Association from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, Epidemiology of Diabetic Intervention and Complications study, The Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study, and The Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes studies.

Diabetes is a chronic disease resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both, which ultimately can lead to elevated blood glucose levels, causing serious health complications and premature death. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and contributes to many complications, including eye, kidney, and heart disease, and lower limb amputation. The Diabetes Control and Complications and the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications trials have shown that, with intensive therapy and optimal blood glucose control, there is a reduction in complications, leading to the development of clinical guidelines for the management of diabetic patients. The “GLUCOSE BAD” mnemonic can assist the practitioner in remembering those guidelines.