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. In the UK, it affects about 10% of all adults with 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
When to see a doctor
You should therefore visit your doctor 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
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
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.
Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. In the UK, around 90% of all adults with diabetes have type 2.There are 3.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK. That's
more than one in 16 people in the UK who has diabetes (diagnosed or
undiagnosed).
This figure has nearly trebled since 1996, when there were 1.4
million. By 2025, it is estimated that 5 million people will have
diabetes in the UK.
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.
