GP Alice Fitzgibbon, looks at the different types of this illness and what can be done
This month we recap a really important condition: Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes is a medical condition that means the body cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood. Normally, when the blood sugar is high, an organ called the pancreas produces a substance called insulin which brings the sugar levels down. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, although several sub-types also exist. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin. Type 1 diabetes is often seen in younger people and is treated with replacement insulin injections. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas may produce less insulin, but the cells of the body also stop reacting to it. This happens over a long period of time. Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 and if it is detected early it can be controlled and managed, often with a combination of diet, exercise and medications, either in tablet or injectable forms. It is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes completely with diet and weight loss. As diabetes can worsen with time, some people with type 2 diabetes may need treatment with injectable insulin too.
There are several well known risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes:
- Age – it is more common the older you get
- Family history – if your parent, sibling or child has type 2 diabetes, then you are between two and six times more likely to get it
- Ethnicity – it is more common in people with South Asian descent and African-Caribbean or Black African descent
- Having high blood pressure
- Being overweight
If you want to calculate your individual risk of developing type 2 diabetes, there is a risk calculator online at https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start
This website has lots of information about all types of diabetes and treatments.
If diabetes is suspected, a blood test can be taken to assess the average blood sugar level. This can tell us if someone has diabetes already or even if they are on their way to developing it. It is really important to follow this up with the GP or practice nurse as this is the ideal time to make lifestyle changes such as weight loss and diet changes, to stop the diabetes developing.
Some people with type 2 diabetes may not have any specific symptoms and it might be detected on a blood test for something else. Other people can have lots of vague symptoms which might be due to high blood sugar. These include:
- Increased thirst and drinking more
- Passing urine more frequently
- Feeling tired
- Losing weight
- Recurrent infections such as thrush
- Slow healing of cuts and wounds
- Blurred vision
If you have any of these symptoms it is important that you see your GP to discuss them. The earlier you know you have type 2 diabetes the sooner you can do something about it. Having high blood sugar levels in the body over a long period of time causes damage especially to the eyes, kidneys, the blood vessels in the legs and the heart – people with diabetes may develop sight problems, kidney failure, circulation problems and are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. There may be no outward signs that this damage is happening until it is too late to prevent it. This is why if you have diabetes you will get an annual eye check and blood tests to check for problems you might be unaware of. Controlling blood sugar levels with medicines can prevent or delay this damage happening which is why good control is so important in this long-term condition.
For further information on Diabetes visit https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
