There are currently over 2 million diabetic people in the UK, and up to another 750,000 who have Diabetes and don’t know it yet. Read on for more information on Diabetes.

How Many People Suffer from Diabetes

Remarkably, there are about 1 in 7 of all deaths in the country are caused by diabetes – that’s about 33,000 deaths every year.

What is Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease where the blood glucose level, produced when the body metabolises carbohydrates, is too high for the body to process. Glucose levels are kept under control by the hormone insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin, and people with the more common Type 2 diabetes do not produce enough.

About Diabetes

There are more than 171 million people with diabetes worldwide, and it’s on the rise. In fact, it’s predicted that that figure will more than double by 2030. And, despite easily available treatments, most people with diabetes fail to manage their condition properly and develop serious long-term health problems.

Type 1 Diabetes

When we eat, carbohydrates are turned into glucose or sugar and used by the body for energy. The pancreas produces a hormone known as insulin that manages the body’s blood sugar and moves it throughout the cells.

Diabetes occurs when a person’s blood sugar level is too high for the amount of insulin in the body to control.

About Type 1 Diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, also called “insulin dependant diabetes,” the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, for reasons that cannot be explained. The pancreas stops producing insulin, so that glucose remains in the blood stream instead of being transported to the cells. This can have serious consequences for the body’s organs.

Diabetes and Injecting Insulin

This means that people with type 1 diabetes have to inject insulin to regulate blood glucose and check their blood sugar levels several times daily in order to function properly and stay alive.

Who is at Risk of Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes is most often found in children and teenagers, and even used to be called "juvenile diabetes.” Type 1 diabetes is more rare than Type 2 diabetes, accounting for between 5 – 15% of all people with diabetes.

Read More on Diabetes

Diabetes - Who is at Risk? Find out the main risk factors.

The Symptoms of Diabetes: Find out what the symptoms of diabetes really are with our quick at-a-glance guide.

Understanding Diabetes: There are currently over 2 million diabetic people in the UK, and up to another 750,000 who have the condition and don’t know it yet. Find out more about this disease.

Tips to Prevent Diabetes: Some forms of diabetes cannot be prevented, however, follow these tips to help minimise the risk of developing the disease.

Sex & Diabetes: Men with diabetes face many difficulties, but few problems are more frustrating than erectile dysfunction, especially for younger men.

ADVERTISEMENT - Article Continues below