There is nothing good about diabetes. It doubles a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, and can lead to loss of sight, kidney failure, and limb amputation, even in the relatively young. Although people with a family history of type 2 diabetes are genetically more at risk than others of developing the condition themselves, the main causes are being overweight and not taking enough exercise. Diabetes UK, the UK’s leading diabetic charity, estimates that the NHS spends at least £10 billion a year on diabetes, about 10% of its entire budget, and in some hospitals over a quarter of beds are used by people being treated for the complications of diabetes.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune condition in which the body is unable to produce insulin, a hormone needed to regulate sugar levels in the blood, type 2 diabetes develops when the body cannot create enough insulin to meet demand or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin available in the blood. This leads to sustained high blood sugar levels, which can lie undetected for years, unless picked up on a blood test or a person develops symptoms such as increased urination, increased thirst, fatigue, and slow healing of wounds.
Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week is from Monday 20th May to Sunday 26th May this year and we would encourage everyone to think about their risk, and what they can do to reduce it. Click here to access Diabetes UK’s risk calculator, or ask your GP to test your glucose and HbA1c, a long term marker of glucose control, on your next blood test.