Experts at the 20th Annual Diabetes Conference say new medications are improving treatment, but diabetes and obesity continue to increase.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Doctors said diabetes continues to rise across the Coastal Bend, but new treatments are transforming the way patients manage the disease and reduce serious health risks.

Those were among the key messages shared Friday at the 20th Annual Diabetes Conference in Corpus Christi, where physicians and healthcare professionals gathered to discuss the latest advances in diabetes care.



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Dr. James Mobley, one of the conference directors, said diabetes treatment has changed dramatically over the past decade due to newer medications, such as GLP-1 drugs.

“This is a completely different world than when we started having our conference 20 years ago,” Mobley said. “We’re looking at where we’ve been, where we are now and where we’re headed.”

Mobley said South Texas remains one of the nation’s hot spots for diabetes, with cases continuing to increase. He said newer medications are helping patients better control blood sugar while also lowering the risk of heart disease and other complications.

Dr. Brandy Addison, a clinical endocrinologist and conference director, said the focus of diabetes care is no longer just lowering blood sugar.

Instead, she said doctors are taking a more complete approach by treating the whole patient and reducing the long-term risks linked to diabetes and obesity.

“We have to be comprehensive in our approach,” Addison said. “We can no longer focus on just reducing A1C because it matters how we reduce it and how we get there.”

Addison also emphasized that obesity is a chronic disease that should be treated like other long-term medical conditions, such as high blood pressure. She said medications that help patients lose weight can also improve blood sugar levels and lower the risk of future health problems.

This year’s conference theme, “From Hindsight to Foresight,” focuses on how decades of research and treatment advances are shaping the future of diabetes care.