Diabetes

If you have diabetes it’s important to monitor your blood glucose (sugar) level regularly.

Diabetes is the name given to a group of different conditions in which there is too much glucose in the blood. The pancreas either cannot make insulin or the insulin it does make is not enough and cannot work properly.

Without insulin doing its job, glucose builds up in the blood leading to high blood glucose levels which cause the health problems linked to diabetes.

The main symptoms are:

• feeling very thirsty
• urinating frequently, particularly at night
• feeling very tired
• weight loss and loss of muscle bulk.

 The amount of sugar in the blood is usually controlled by a hormone called ‘insulin‘ which is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach).

In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin, and usually develops before the age of 40. It is less common than type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin. It is often associated with obesity and is more common in older people.

During pregnancy, some women have such high levels of blood glucose their body is unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. This is known as ‘gestational diabetes‘.

 If you are concerned you may have diabetes please see your doctor.