Introduction
“Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar
level to become too high”.
There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Many more people have blood sugar levels above the normal
range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes.
This is sometimes known as prediabetes. If your blood
sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown
diabetes is increased.
It's very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early
as possible because it will get progressively worse if left untreated.
You should therefore visit your Dr. as soon as possible if
you have symptoms, such as feeling thirsty, passing urine more often than
usual, and feeling tired all the time.
Symptoms of diabetes
The main symptoms of diabetes are:
•
feeling very thirsty
•
urinating more frequently than usual,
particularly at night
•
feeling very tired
•
weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
•
itching around the penis or vagina,
or frequent episodes of thrush
•
cuts or wounds that heal slowly
•
blurred vision (caused by the lens of
the eye becoming dry)
Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even
days.
Many people have type 2 diabetes for years without
realising because the early symptoms tend to be general.
What causes diabetes?
The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a
hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the
stomach).
When food is digested and enters your bloodstream, insulin
moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it's broken down to
produce energy.
However, if you have diabetes, your body is
unable to break down glucose into energy. This is because there's either not
enough insulin to move the glucose, or the insulin produced doesn't work
properly.
Type 1 diabetes
In type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks and
destroys the cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, your
glucose levels increase, which can seriously damage the body's organs.
Type 1 diabetes is often known as insulin-dependent
diabetes. It's also sometimes known as juvenile diabetes or
early-onset diabetes because it usually develops before the age of 40, often
during the teenage years.
Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes.
If you're diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you'll
need insulin injections for the rest of your life.
You'll also need to pay close attention to certain
aspects of your lifestyle and health to ensure your blood glucose levels stay
balanced.
For example, you'll need to eat healthily, take regular exercise and carry out regular
blood tests.
(Read more
about type 1 diabetes and living with diabetes.)
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is where the body doesn't produce enough
insulin, or the body's cells don't react to insulin. This is known
as insulin resistance.
Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 diabetes.
If you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you may be
able to control your symptoms simply by eating a healthy diet, exercising
regularly, and monitoring your blood glucose levels.
However, as type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, you
may eventually need medication, usually in the form of tablets.
Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity. Obesity-related diabetes is sometimes
referred to as maturity-onset diabetes because it's more common in older
people.
You can use the BMI healthy weight calculator to check whether
you're a healthy weight.
(Read more
about type 2 diabetes.)
Diabetic eye screening
Everyone with diabetes aged 12 or over should be invited
to have their eyes screened once a year.
If you have diabetes, your eyes are at risk from diabetic
retinopathy, a condition that can lead to sight loss if it's not treated.
Screening, which involves a half-hour check to
examine the back of the eyes, is a way of detecting the condition early so
it can be treated more effectively.
(Read more
about diabetic eye screening.)
Gestational diabetes (in pregnancy)
During pregnancy, some women have such high levels of
blood glucose that their body is unable to produce enough insulin to
absorb it all. This is known as gestational diabetes and affects up
to 18 in 100 women during pregnancy.
Pregnancy can also make existing type 1 diabetes worse.
Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of health problems developing in an
unborn baby, so it's important to keep your blood glucose
levels under control.
In most cases, gestational diabetes develops
during the second trimester of pregnancy (weeks 14 to 26) and disappears
after the baby is born.
However, women who have gestational diabetes are at
an increased risk (30%) of developing type 2 diabetes later in life
(compared with a 10% risk for the general population).
Words Credit: NHS UK.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes/Pages/Clinical-trial.aspx
Photo Credit: Google
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