Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The six main symptoms according to Diabetes UK includes:
• Unexplained weight loss
• Wounds healing slowly
• Excessive thirst
• Having to urinate often, especially during the night
• Severe tiredness
• Experiencing infections such as thrush.
The advice, if you are suffering from any of these symptoms, is to contact and consult your GP or call the NHS’s 111 helpline.
Diabetes is one of the most common conditions in the UK.
READ MORE Pfizer booster shot: The ‘unexpected’ side effect after third dose – Pfizer finding
According to Diabetes UK, more than 4.9 million people in the UK have the condition, a number they predict will grow to 5.5 million by 2030.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body cannot make any insulin. Usually diagnosed in young adults and children, this is the least common of the two types, with around eight percent of people with diabetes having Type 1.
Those who are diagnosed will normally be prescribed insulin to replace the hormone that they’re unable to produce.
Type 2 diabetes is caused either by your pancreas not producing enough insulin or your body no longer being able to use the insulin it makes properly.
DON’T MISS
Dementia warning: The 60p ingredient shown to ‘double’ the risk of memory decline – study [INSIGHT]
Omicron: The ‘initial’ symptom seen in 89% of those infected with the strain – CDC report [INSIGHT]
Len Goodman health: ‘Cancer-riddled old so-and so’ – the star’s two cancer battles
Type 2 diabetes treatment is different; lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and a healthier diet can help people to improve their condition.
However, many people with type 2 diabetes require medications to treat their conditions.
The most important factor, particularly with Type 1 diabetes, is that blood sugar levels need to be monitored regularly.
If the person’s blood sugar levels are too low, this can be resolved by consuming something with a high sugar content, if they’re too high this can be remedied with an injection of insulin.
However, even though diabetes needs to be managed and monitored it is not a limiting condition; earlier this year Radio 1 Xtra presenter & Type 1 Diabetic, Reece Parkinson successfully completed his first Ultramarathon.
Other famous figures who live with the condition include the former Prime Minister Theresa May and comedian Ed Gamble.
Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have their own risk factors that will affect how likely you are to get the condition.
With Type 1, the main risk factors are your age and your family history. Whilst you can get it at any age, as in the case of Reece Parkinson, you’re more likely to get it when you’re a child, teenager or young adult.
The second factor is family history, if a member of your close family has it, then there’s a greater likelihood that you may develop it; according to Diabetes UK, there is little scientific certainty about the exact causes of Type 1.
More is known about the risk factors of Type 2 however. The most notable factor is your lifestyle, such as your weight and how much you smoke, drink and exercise; a healthy diet (with no smoking) will lower the chances of developing Type 2.
Other mitigating factors include your ethnicity. You’re two to four times more likely to get Type 2 if you’re of South Asian, African Caribbean or Black African descent.
Additionally, mental health conditions have also been found to have an impact with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression linked to the condition, although the risk is very low.
Source: Read Full Article