Factfile - Diabetes Week - 10 to 16 June 2007
About diabetes
Diabetes affects people of all ages. There are currently more than two million people in the UK with diabetes, plus an estimated 750,000 people who have the condition and don't know it. In people with diabetes, the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, develops if the body is unable to produce any insulin. This form of the condition usually appears before the age of 40. Type 1 develops quickly, usually over a few weeks, and symptoms are normally very obvious. This form of diabetes accounts for just 5 to 15 percent of all people with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly. In most cases this is linked with being overweight. This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, or over the age of 25 in South Asian and African-Caribbean people. Recently, increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with the condition. Type 2 diabetes develops slowly and the symptoms are usually less severe; some people may not notice any symptoms at all and the condition may be picked up in routine medical checks. Type 2 diabetes accounts for between 85 and 95 percent of all people with diabetes.
Symptoms of diabetes
Symptoms include:
- increased thirst
- going to the loo all the time, especially at night
- extreme tiredness
- weight loss
- blurred vision
- genital itching or regular episodes of thrush
- slow healing of wounds.
Treatment
Managing the condition involves maintaining a healthy lifestyle - which includes eating well, keeping active and controlling weight. Treatment can also involve taking tablets, such as sulphonylureas and biguanide, or injecting insulin. Around five per cent of total NHS resources (and up to 10 per cent of hospital inpatient resources) are used to care for people with diabetes.
