What is Diabetes?
Diabetes Mellitus is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because your body cannot use it properly as fuel. The blood that courses around our bodies, via our arteries carries lots of nutrients (including glucose) to our organs, muscles and cells. A hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, helps us to absorb the glucose from our blood into our cells, where it provides energy for our muscles / body. A lack of insulin means that instead of the glucose being absorbed into the body’s cells, it builds up in the blood.
There are two types of Diabetes Mellitus:
Type 1 – no insulin is produced.
Type 2 – not enough insulin is produced, or the insulin that is produced is not working properly.
(Another type called gestational diabetes can also occur in some pregnant women. For more information about this type please visit Diabetes UK.)
Type 1 diabetes
This accounts for around 10% of all adults with diabetes (source: Diabetes UK website). It can develop at any age, but usually appears before the age of 40, and especially in childhood. It is treated by daily insulin injections, a healthy diet and regular exercise / activity.
Type 2 diabetes
This usually appears in people over the age of 40. Some of the risks of developing type 2 diabetes are:
- You’re aged over 40 years (over 25 yrs if you are of South Asian origin)
- You have a close family member with diabetes (parent, sibling)
- You’re overweight or obese
- You’re of South Asian, Chinese, African-Caribbean or black African origin
- You’ve ever had a heart attack or stroke or you have cardiovascular disease.
(For more details about type 2 diabetes and risk factors please visit the NHS website.)
Signs and symptoms
Diabetes can cause a variety of symptoms. The main symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes include:
- urinating frequently, particularly at night
- feeling very thirsty
- feeling very tired
- unexplained weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
- itching of the genitals or frequent episodes of thrush
- cuts and wounds that heal slowly
- blurred vision
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may not be so obvious, because the condition usually develops slowly over a number of years. It may only be picked up during a routine medical check-up.
Treatment
Type 1 – requires insulin injections and a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
Type 2 – can be controlled by making healthy changes to your lifestyle, such as diet and exercise. However, as it is a progressive condition, you may eventually need to take medication.
It is important to have diabetes diagnosed as early as possible as diabetes is a lifelong condition that gets progressively worse if not managed properly. It can also cause other complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction and visual impairment.
This year’s World Diabetes Day theme
This year’s theme is about health eating.
- Investing in a healthy breakfast will reduce the global burden of diabetes and save billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs.
- Read why
- Ensuring access to an affordable and healthy breakfast is essential to reducing the global burden of diabetes. Read why
- Healthy eating options that can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Click here
- Healthy and unhealthy breakfast options. Click here
For further information and support you can contact the following organisations:
International Diabetes Federation – http://www.idf.org
Diabetes UK – www.diabetes.org.uk they provide a helpline, information roadshows, self-management training and local support groups. They have areas of their website dedicated to young people with diabetes.
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation – www.drwf.org.uk fund research into diabetes and raise awareness about the condition. They have a page for parents and carers.
NHS choices – www.nhs.uk this website provides in depth information about a range of health conditions, including diabetes.
