Diabetes overview

Health and Nutrition > Diseases > D Reviewed by Professor Ian W Campbell, consultant physician, adult diabetes and Dr Soon Song, consultant physician

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar level is higher than normal.

There are two main types of diabetes.

- Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. It is usually seen in young people.
- Type 2 diabetes - usually non insulin-dependent diabetes. It tends to affect adults over 40 and overweight people.

There are also other types of diabetes.

- Pregnancy diabetes. This is known as gestational diabetes. It's associated with pregnancy and symptoms usually disappear after the birth. If you get gestational diabetes, you have an increased risk of developing one of the main types of diabetes later in life.
- Secondary diabetes. This is when diabetes is caused as the result of another condition, eg inflammation of the pancreas, or by the use of certain medication such as diuretics or steroids (the most common cause).

How common is diabetes?

In the UK around 1.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes.

But Type 2 diabetes often has few symptoms in the early stages - it's estimated that half of those with Type 2 diabetes have not yet been diagnosed.

The last 30 years has seen a threefold increase in the number of cases of childhood diabetes.

Obesity levels have also risen - and this has led to Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to diet, being seen for the first time in young people in Europe and America.

But obesity doesn't explain the increase in the numbers of Type 1 diabetes in children - who make up the majority of new cases.

What causes diabetes?

Term watch Glucose is sugar. Blood sugar level is the same as blood glucose level.

Common symptoms of diabetes

Glucose is one of the body's main fuels. If there isn't enough, blood sugar levels rise and glucose is secreted into urine. This causes:

Good advice If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, see your GP and get tested for diabetes.

How is a diagnosis made?

Type 2 traits People with Type 2 diabetes often have:

- family history of diabetes
- obesity
- increased blood pressure
- premature vascular problems such as heart attacks and stroke
- raised level of triglyceride (a type of fat) in the blood.

Glucose tolerance test

If the diagnosis is still unclear from these tests, a glucose tolerance test can be carried out.

A glucose drink is given containing a standard amount of glucose (75g). Blood samples are taken before the drink is given and two hours later. The test is done after an overnight fast.

- A two-hour blood glucose level above 11.1mmol/l is a diagnosis of diabetes.
- A level below 7.8mmol/l is normal.

What if I have IGT? If you have IGT, you should take similar steps to people with diabetes:

- lose weight if you are overweight
- exercise more
- stop smoking.

You should also be kept under review and checked at least annually for the development of diabetes.

How is diabetes treated?

Diabetes is treated in two ways:

Diet and diabetes A special diet used to be recommended for diabetes.

It's now thought a normal well-balanced diet is best.

But calorie intake is still important.

People with diabetes who are overweight need to think of weight loss as part of their treatment.

The documents contained in this web site are presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. The materials in this web site cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. Conditions for use

© Copyright 1998 - 2008 NetDoctor.co.uk - All rights reserved