Chronic Disease Management and Prevention in New Jersey

While all patients require comprehensive healthcare services, those with chronic diseases need more attentive care to manage their symptoms, receive treatment, and locate the proper specialists. Nirvana Healthcare Management Services provides holistic chronic disease prevention and management to deliver better outcomes to patients throughout Essex County, New Jersey.

Learn more about chronic disease management and care from Nirvana’s primary care locations: Salerno Medical Associates, Metropolitan Medical Group, Roseville Medical Society, and North Ward Medical Arts. Treatments are also available CHOP/SHOP, which provides house visits to eligible patients.

Treatment and Symptoms Management for Chronic Diseases

Chronic disease management is an integrated method of caring for patients with illnesses that last for an extended period. It involves routine exams, preventative screenings, treatment, education, medication management, and patient monitoring. Some chronic diseases that patients can attain care for through Nirvana Healthcare Management Services include:

Chronic Kidney Disease

The kidneys filter out fluid waste from the bloodstream. With chronic kidney disease, the organ begins losing function. As it progresses, it may cause fluids, electrolytes, and other wastes to build up in the body and cause harm. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, and urine difficulties are some of the main symptoms of chronic kidney disease.

Treatment for chronic kidney disease differs depending on the stage. For instance, when the disease reaches the end stage, a physician may recommend dialysis or a transplant. Other treatments may be medications that help patients better manage their symptoms. These medications might alleviate the complications of the disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, swelling, and anemia.

If a patient has risk factors for chronic kidney disease, the doctor may also recommend strategies to prevent the illness from developing. Common preventative measures for chronic kidney disease are maintaining a healthy diet and weight and quitting smoking.

Diabetes

Diabetes has a significant impact on multiple aspects of a person’s well-being, including cardiovascular health and wellness. Insulin is a hormone in the pancreas that alerts the body to turn blood sugar in the blood into energy. People with diabetes have insufficient insulin, or their body does not utilize the hormone as well as it should. As a result, too much blood remains in the bloodstream, potentially leading to more severe health concerns like heart disease.

Patients with diabetes may need an insulin injection or different medication to manage their symptoms, depending on whether they have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Treatment tends to involve blood sugar monitoring, which allows people to see if their levels are increasing or decreasing and what may be triggering those fluctuations. If the patient has pre-diabetes, it will likely include implementing lifestyle changes to mitigate the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Hypertension

Hypertension (high blood pressure) affects many adults worldwide. Unlike some other chronic diseases, hypertension generally does not have many visible symptoms, which is why regular blood pressure monitoring is essential. Patients displaying signs of hypertension may experience chest pain, nausea, anxiety, tiredness, and arrhythmia, among other symptoms.

Lowering high blood pressure reduces a patient’s risk of developing more serious conditions like heart attacks and stroke. Therefore, a large part of caring for hypertension is preventative care. Physicians may suggest altering a diet to consume less salt and saturated fats and more fruits and vegetables. Exercise also lowers the risk of high blood pressure. Other treatments include medications that help manage the disease, such as diuretics.

Obesity

Obesity is a health epidemic in the United States. This chronic disease is dangerous on its own, but it can also lead to other more severe conditions, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.

The most common solution to obesity is encouraging the patient to lose weight through a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. Physicians may promote these practices when patients are younger to prevent them from becoming obese later in life. If lifestyle changes are not enough, a patient may receive additional treatments, such as weight loss medication or surgery.

Preventative Health Screenings

Most chronic diseases come with risk factors, such as age, race or ethnicity, and diagnosis of other conditions. For patients displaying risk factors for a certain disease, physicians may order screenings to detect the illness early. The sooner the disease is found, the quicker the patient can receive treatment, which may enhance their outcome.

Seek Treatment for Chronic Diseases in Essex County, NJ

Patients searching for a qualified physician to help them handle their chronic disease diagnosis can turn to Nirvana Healthcare Management Services for solutions. The healthcare organization is the primary resource for individuals needing providers across multiple locations in Newark and East Orange, NJ, including Salerno Medical Associates, Metropolitan Medical Group, Roseville Medical Society, North Ward Medical Arts, and CHOP/SHOP which provides house visits to eligible patients. To learn more,  contact Nirvana Healthcare Management Services today.