Diabetes - What you should know

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar level is higher than normal.

There are two main types of diabetes.

• Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. It is usually seen in young people.
• Type 2 diabetes - usually non insulin-dependent diabetes. It tends to affect adults over 40 and overweight people.

There are also other types of diabetes.

• Pregnancy diabetes. This is known as gestational diabetes. It's associated with pregnancy and symptoms usually disappear after the birth. If you get gestational diabetes, you have an increased risk of developing one of the main types of diabetes later in life.
• Secondary diabetes. This is when diabetes is caused as the result of another condition, eg inflammation of the pancreas, or by the use of certain medication such as diuretics or steroids (the most common cause).

How common is diabetes?

In the UK around 1.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes.

But Type 2 diabetes often has few symptoms in the early stages - it's estimated that half of those with Type 2 diabetes have not yet been diagnosed.

The last 30 years has seen a threefold increase in the number of cases of childhood diabetes.

Obesity levels have also risen - and this has led to Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to diet, being seen for the first time in young people in Europe and America.

But obesity doesn't explain the increase in the numbers of Type 1 diabetes in children - who make up the majority of new cases.

What causes diabetes?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas gland in the abdomen. It controls the use of glucose within the body.

The blood sugar level will rise if:

• the pancreas produces little or no insulin (Type 1 diabetes)
• the pancreas produces insulin, but it's inadequate for the body’s needs and its effectiveness is reduced (Type 2 diabetes).

It's thought Type 2 diabetes is related to factors associated with a Western lifestyle, since it's most common in people who are overweight and who don't get enough exercise.
Gestational diabetes is brought about by the many hormone changes and demands placed upon the body during pregnancy.
Secondary diabetes is much like Type 2 diabetes. It's quite variable, depending on the underlying cause.

Common symptoms of diabetes

Glucose is one of the body’s main fuels. If there isn't enough, blood sugar levels rise and glucose is secreted into urine. This causes:

• increased thirst
• frequent urination
• tiredness
• weight loss, although appetite often increases (especially in Type 1 diabetes)
• itchiness, especially around the genitals
• recurrent infections on the skin, eg boils.

People with Type 1 diabetes usually develop these symptoms within days or weeks.
In Type 2 diabetes, these symptoms often don't show for years. Many are diagnosed by chance through routine medical check-ups.
Heredity plays a part in diabetes, but only 10 per cent of people with Type 1 have a family history of diabetes. For Type 2, this rises to 30 per cent.

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