It is a life-long health condition affecting around 3.5 million people in the UK.
On top of that, experts estimate there are 549,000 people living with diabetes, but who do not know it yet.It is a condition caused by high levels of glucose – or sugar – in the blood.
Glucose levels are so high because the body is unable to properly use it.
In people diagnosed with diabetes, their pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, or not enough insulin.
Insulin is a hormone typically produced by the pancreas and allows glucose to enter the cells in the body, where it’s used for energy.
There are two types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2.
The distinction lies in what is causing the lack of insulin – often described as the key, that allows glucose to unlock the door to the cells.
WHAT IS TYPE 2 DIABETES?
Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the disease – accounting for between 85 and 95 per cent of all cases, according to Diabetes UK.It develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin.
It can also be triggered when the insulin that is produced doesn’t work properly.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Typically, people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from the age of 40.However, there are some exceptions.
In people from southern Asia the disease can appear as early as 25.
And the condition is becoming more prevalent in children, teenagers of all ethnicities.
Experts suggest the rising rates of type 2 diabetes is due to the obesity epidemic – a key cause of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with drugs, and many people can reverse their condition by adopting a healthy lifestyle – a healthy diet and exercise.
WHAT IS TYPE 1 DIABETES?
Type 1 diabetes is where the cells in the body that typically produce insulin have been destroyed, leaving the body unable to produce the key hormone.WHO IS AT RISK?
Type 1 diabetes is far less common, affecting around 10 per cent of adults with the disease.It is treated with daily insulin injections or an insulin pump.
This form of the disease typically occurs in childhood, or before the age of 40 and is not linked to obesity.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES?
The common signs you may have diabetes include:- going to the toilet a lot, especially at night
- being really thirsty
- feeling more tired than usual
- losing weight, without trying to
- genital itching or thrush
- cuts and wounds that take longer to heal
- blurred vision
These signs are common in children and adults alike. But, adults suffering type 1 diabetes can find it harder to recognise their symptoms.
Diabetes UK’s four T’s campaign aims to raise awareness of the key signs.
What are the four Ts?
- Toilet – going to the toilet a lot, bed wetting in children
- Thirsty – being really thirsty is a sign of the disease, as is not being able to quench your thirst
- Tired – feeling more tired than usual is a sign
- Thinner – losing weight without trying can indicate diabetes.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS?
As well as being advised to eat a healthy diet and take more exercise, both forms of diabetes can be treated using different drugs.However, whereas a healthier lifestyle can often reverse the symptoms in people with type 2 diabetes, it does not have the same dramatic effect on type 1 diabetes.
Every person diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will have to take insulin via injection or a pump.
Some type 2 diabetics will also need insulin, though it is less common.
Those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will sometimes need to take drugs, alongside living a healthier lifestyle.
This medication is designed to lower blood sugar levels, but cannot cure the disease.
Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, so worsens over time, meaning some people will need more medication to control it as it progresses.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1904258/what-is-type-2-diabetes-what-are-the-signs-to-watch-out-for-and-how-is-it-treated/
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