On April 7th, we can beat diabetes together!
There are different types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system starts to attack cells responsible for insulin production, meaning that the body cannot produce insulin, causing blood sugar levels to increase.
Type 2 diabetes rises when the body does not react to the insulin that the body produces or when the body does not create enough insulin to level blood sugar. Type 2 is more common than type 1 – in the UK 90% of 2.8 million people diagnosed have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 can be caused by being overweight, high blood pressure, family history or having an African-Caribbean, South Asian or Middle-Eastern heritage.
Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the pancreas; it allows glucose to enter cells and then break down providing energy.
Are you worried you or someone you may know has diabetes? Here are the symptoms to look out for:
- Weakness
- Tiredness
- Blurred vison
- Unappeasable thirst
- Weight loss
- Itching and thrush
- Urinating more frequent
Since the body cannot provide its own insulin, it has to be injected throughout the day so the glucose levels in the blood are controlled. For type 2 only, diabetes treatment starts with a change in the lifestyle and if this does not change anything then sufficient medication will be used to control symptoms or patients may be provided with an injection of insulin. The treatment has been proved to be very effective as long as the patient follows advice from care teams and does not change anything without advice.