SHOWCASE MAGAZINE | 2018
to be general.
Diabetes
Causes of 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 glu-
cose, or the insulin produced doesn’t work properly.
Although there are no lifestyle changes you can
make to lower your risk of type 1 diabetes, type 2
diabetes is often linked to being overweight.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a per-
son’s blood sugar level to become too high.
There are 2 main types of diabetes:
•Type 1 diabetes – where the body’s immune
system attacks and destroys the cells that produce
insulin
•Type 2 diabetes – where the body doesn’t produce
enough insulin, or the body’s cells don’t react to in-
sulin. Type 2 diabetes is far more common than Type
1. In the UK, around 90% of all adults with diabetes
have Type 2. 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.
Living with diabetes
If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you’ll need to eat
healthily, take regular exercise and carry out regular
blood tests to ensure your blood glucose levels stay
balanced. You can use the BMI healthy weight calcu-
lator to check whether you’re a healthy weight.
You can find apps and tools in the NHS Apps Li-
brary to help you manage your diabetes and have a
healthier lifestyle.
People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes also require
regular insulin injections for the rest of their life.
As type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, med-
ication may eventually be required, usually in the
form of tablets.
Pre-diabetes
Many more people have blood sugar levels above
the normal range, but not high enough to be diag-
nosed as having diabetes.
This is sometimes known as pre-diabetes. 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.
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 dia-
betic 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.
When to see a doctor
Visit your GP as soon as possible if you experience
the main symptoms of diabetes, which include:
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
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