What is Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels are not regulated in a normal way, so remain abnormal over a prolonged period.

Normally your pancreas (an organ in your abdomen) makes a hormone called insulin which controls the sugar in your blood. This sugar is broken down from all you eat and drink to provide energy for your body. Insulin allows the sugar to leave your blood and enter the cells of your body to be stored in different ways.

Around 90 per cent of those diagnosed with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is where your pancreas isn’t making enough insulin or the insulin it makes is no longer effective. Type 2 diabetes tends to occur after the age of 35. It can be linked to weight, diet, and lifestyle. Due to this, it can be preventable and reversible in some people.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is where your pancreas can’t make insulin. So the sugars broken down from what you eat and drink remain high in the blood. Type 1 diabetes tends to occur early in life and tends to be irreversible

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is borderline diabetes. It means your blood sugars are higher than usual, but not enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes rarely causes symptoms, but If pre-diabetic you’re at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in time.

How common is it?

More than 4.9 million people have diabetes in the UK. 13.6 million people are currently at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. Presently, it's thought 850,000 people in the UK have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes

Some things can increase your chance of getting Type 2 diabetes. Because the symptoms are not always obvious, it’s important to be aware of the risk factors. You’re at higher risk if you are:

White and aged over 40, or African, Caribbean, or South Asian and over 25
Overweight, especially around the waist
Eat too many of the wrong foods, drink too much sugary drinks and/or alcohol, and don’t exercise
Of African Caribbean, Black African, South Asian, Chinese or mixed ethnicity
Have a family history of diabetes
Have a history of high blood pressure, heart attack or strokes, gestational diabetes, or severe mental illness.

Type 2 Diabetes symptoms

Type 2 diabetes develops more slowly than Type 1 diabetes. In the early phase, a lot of people don’t get any symptoms, or don’t notice them. But they may notice:

Passing urine more often, especially at night
Fatigue
Losing weight without trying
Genital itching, thrush, or other infections
Wounds taking longer to heal
Visual blurring
Thirst
Other vague symptoms of feeling unwell

Is Type 2 Diabetes serious?

Without effective intervention Type 2 diabetes causes high circulating blood sugar levels, which can potentially damage parts of your body over time. This includes your blood vessels, eyes, heart, kidneys, and feet. Left unchecked, this can lead to very serious illness. Adults with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to develop cardio-vascular disease, and are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke.

Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Living with Type 2 diabetes is possible with the right help. The first steps include healthy eating, being more active and losing weight. Many people will also need medication to bring their blood sugar to the right level. Technology can also help to achieve better diabetic control.

Can Type 2 Diabetes be cured?

There isn't a permanent cure for Type 2 diabetes yet. But some can put Type 2 diabetes into remission by losing weight, and/or making the right dietary and lifestyle choices.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Research has shown that for some, combined lifestyle interventions, which include diet, physical activity and sustained weight loss can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by about 50%.

Other related conditions

Type 2 diabetes can also be associated with other conditions, including thyroid, other hormonal conditions, gut, skin, and joint related problems. Diabetes is also linked to a higher rate of some cancers and depression. If you have any questions speak with your doctor.