Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) Practice Exam

Which factor should be monitored to manage complications in diabetics effectively?

1. Heart rate only

2. Blood glucose levels

3. Cholesterol levels only

4. Weight loss alone

The correct answer is: Blood glucose levels

Monitoring blood glucose levels is essential for managing complications in individuals with diabetes. Consistently tracking glucose levels helps in assessing how well diabetes is being controlled, allowing for timely adjustments to medications, diet, and lifestyle. Elevated blood glucose can lead to immediate issues, such as hyperglycemia, and long-term complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and cardiovascular system. While heart rate, cholesterol levels, and weight can provide additional important information regarding a person's overall health and risk for complications, they do not specifically target the management of diabetes-related complications as effectively as blood glucose levels do. Heart rate could indicate cardiovascular stress but isn’t a direct measure of diabetes control. Cholesterol levels are important for cardiovascular risk assessment but do not reflect the day-to-day management of diabetes. Weight loss alone may be beneficial for some individuals with type 2 diabetes, but it is one of many factors in managing blood glucose and overall health. Therefore, monitoring blood glucose levels is the cornerstone of effective diabetes management and complication prevention.