Diabetes Week

Diabetes UK

‘A leading charity working with people with diabetes and to work towards a future without diabetes’

The key activities include:

1. Campaigning
2. Informing
3. Researching

There are 2.8million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 850,000 people who have the condition and don’t know it. Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high and your body cannot use it properly. This is because the pancreas does not produce any insulin, or not enough, to help glucose enter your body’s cells or the insulin that is produced doesn’t work properly. There are 2 types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body have been destroyed and the body cant produce any insulin. It accounts for 5-15% of all people diagnosed and is treated by daily insulin injections, a healthy diet and regular physical exercise.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin but not enough, or its not working properly. It tends to appear in people over 40 but is also becoming increasingly common in children, adolescents and young people of all ethnicities. It accounts for 85-95% of all people with diabetes and is treated with a healthy diet and exercise. In addition to this, medication and/or insulin is often required.

So, what are the symptoms??

• peeing more, especially at night
• increased thirst
• extreme tiredness
• unexplained weightloss
• genital itching or regular episodes of thrush
• slow healing of cuts and wounds
• blurred vision

In type 1 the signs and symptoms are fairly obvious and develop quickly, typically over a few weeks. the symptoms are quickly relieved once the diabetes is treated and under control.

In type 2 the signs and symptoms may not be so obvious, as the condition develops slowly over a few years. It may only be picked up on a routine medical test. Again once treatment is started and the diabetes is under control, the symptoms become controlled.

IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS CONTACT YOUR GP.

Early diagnosis, treatment and good control of diabetes is vital to reduce the chances of developing serious diabetes complications. Once diagnosed, people have to make a lifestyle change, not just with diet and exercise, but coping with blood sugar monitoring, taking medication daily maybe in an injection form; watching out and interpreting high and low blood sugar levels and how to deal with them. The diabetes society is there to support newly diagnosed and established diabetics cope with their new disease and how to continue living with diabetes in everyday life.

Wearing a diabetic alert ID wristband is useful to others in case of a diabetic emergency.

For more information regarding diabetes go to www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/or/and www.patient.co.uk

Soapgirl