Information on Diabetes 

General

Diabetes mellitus (often referred to simply as diabetes) is a medical condition in which the body doesn't produce or use insulin, leading to dangerously high levels of glucose in the blood.

(More resources and information on Diabetes from Wikipedia.)
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The food we consume is converted into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use as energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, creates a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.

Diabetes causes sugars to build up in your blood. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is predicted by a clear set of symptoms, but it still often goes undiagnosed.

There are currently over 2.5 million people with diabetes in the UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who have the condition who aren’t aware of it. (according to latest figures from Diabetes UK)

Diabetes UK said that the rate of patients being told that they have the serious disease had increased from one every five minutes in 2007, when 100,000 people were diagnosed.

The majority of patients were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which is on the increase in part because of lifestyle factors, including obesity and an aging population.

However, experts predict that four million Britons could suffer from the condition, which can cause complications heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation, by 2025.

Early signs of symptoms of diabetes can include:

• Frequent urination (Polyuria) and thirst (Polydipsia): The increased glucose in a diabetic person's urine draws water out of the blood; this increases the need to urinate, and therefore increases thirst. The urine draws excessive glucose and ketones out of the body.

• Fatigue:  When the glucose/insulin system is functioning properly, insulin opens up muscle cells and allows glucose to enter, providing the cells with fuel. When this system breaks down, the muscles don't have the fuel that they need to work.

• Weight loss:  Insulin builds muscle tissue. When insulin isn't functioning properly in the body, the person can lose muscle tone and drop in weight.

• Persistent hunger:  Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells, so while there is excessive glucose in the blood, the cells are literally starving.

• Persistent vaginal infection: A higher level of glucose in vaginal fluids can encourage bacteria to thrive.

Diabetes is becoming increasingly more common throughout the world, due to increased obesity leading to higher incidences of type 2 diabetes.

The two major types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) requires insulin to treat, is typically developed as a child or young adult, and is a disease that destroys pancreatic cells meaning no insulin production is possible. Type 1 diabetes is the least common of the two main types and accounts for between 5 – 15% of all people with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes) is considerably more common and typically affects people over the age of 40. In most cases this is linked with being overweight. This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40. However, recently, more children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven. Type 2 diabetes is the more common of the two main types and accounts for between 85 - 95% of all people with diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes symptoms often appear suddenly and include :

• High levels of sugar in the blood and urine
• Frequent urination
• Hunger
• Thirst
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Mood swings
• Nausea and vomiting.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms include :

• Thirst and regular need to urinate
• Tiredness
• Irritability and nausea
• Skin infections
• blurry vision
• Tingling or dry skin are also common symptoms
• Often symptoms are very mild.

How is diabetes controlled?

Type 1 diabetes is controlled with insulin, whereas type 2 diabetes can be controlled through diet and exercise.