World Diabetes Day
There are 2 main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes
- 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.
When should I see a doctor?
Visit your GP as soon as possible if you experience the main symptoms of diabetes, which include:
- Feeling very thirsty
- Peeing 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
What causes Diabetes?
The amount of sugar in your blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by your pancreas.
When you digest your food and it enters your bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of your blood and into your 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 does not work properly.
Living with diabetes
If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you’ll need to make some changes to your lifestyle to make sure you are eating healthily, taking regular exercise and do regular blood tests to ensure your blood glucose levels stay balanced.
People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will require regular insulin injections for the rest of their life to manage your glucose levels.
Where can I get support?
Diabetes UK offers lots more information, advice and support about diabetes. They have invested millions into diabetes research over the last decade alone. Visit their website here: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
Help someone like you by sharing your Diabetes story.
Tell us your experience of living with Diabetes. Do you get the care and support that you need? What would help you?
We’ll use your experience to help improve services for someone else.
