Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a chronic health problem that affects your body’s ability to produce insulin or use the blood sugar (or blood glucose) effectively.

Blood sugar levels are regulated by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into the cells where it’s needed.

The pancreas plays a vital role in diabetes. If a person becomes diabetic, it means that the pancreas isn’t able to produce enough insulin required for the body or cells aren’t able to make proper use of the insulin produced.

What types of Diabetes are there?

Diabetes is broadly divided into three types: type 1, type 2, and gestational.

Type 1 diabetes is a health condition in which your immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, so they don’t make any insulin. It usually develops when you’re a child or teenager, but it can develop when you’re older too.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which your cells lose sensitivity to insulin and can’t make use of your blood sugar effectively. As a result, your blood sugar levels go up. It’s milder and more common than type 1, but it can still lead to serious complications in your eyes, nerves, kidney and heart if it’s not well-controlled. In type 2 diabetes, there are two connected problems:

1. Your cells respond poorly to insulin, so can’t make use of the blood sugar effectively.
2. And sometimes your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin.

Gestational diabetes is when, during pregnancy, your body becomes insulin resistant and so blood sugar levels rise. This type of diabetes usually goes away after you give birth.

There’s also a form of diabetes known as ‘Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood’ (or LADA) which is sometimes informally called ‘diabetes 1.5’. This is currently classified as a form of type 1 diabetes, but shares similarities with type 2 – hence the ‘1.5’. Research is currently being undertaken to find out what seems to make it different from both type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Who gets diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes can affect anyone at any time, but type 2 diabetes is usually acquired later in life. You’re more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you’re over 40 (or over 25 if you’re south Asian), have a family history of diabetes, or have overweight or obesity. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes to affect older adults, and being inactive also increases your chances of developing it.^[3]

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction that destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, called beta cells. This process can go on for months or years before any symptoms appear. Some people have certain genes that make them more likely to develop type 1 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes happens when your blood sugar gets too high during pregnancy, and your body can’t make enough insulin to regulate it. Like type 2 diabetes, you’re at a higher risk of getting gestational diabetes if you’re overweight or have a family history of diabetes.

How common is diabetes?

A 2016 study suggested that 9% of men and 7.9% of women worldwide could be diagnosed as having diabetes: a number that has risen by 28.5% since 1980.^[1] So it’s common, and it’s on the rise. This is generally thought to be because the world’s population is getting older and heavier.

Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1—an estimated 90% of people with diabetes have type 2—but both are for life. But where type 1 is unavoidable, it’s possible to minimise your risk of getting type 2 diabetes by living a healthy lifestyle. As a result, type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, whereas type 1 generally affects the same proportion of people year to year.

In the case of gestational diabetes, it’s estimated that 2%-10% of yearly pregnancies are affected by it. ^[2]

What causes diabetes?

The cause of type 1 diabetes is often genetic. If any of your parents or siblings have type 1 diabetes, you might get it as well.

Besides this, environmental factors, like viruses or other autoimmune disorders like Vitiligo or Graves’ disease may also cause it.

Whereas you might get type 2 diabetes due to genetics, lifestyle disorders or certain health conditions. If you have obesity or overweight and lead a lifestyle with a lot of stress and no physical activity or exercise, you might develop type 2 diabetes mellitus. High blood pressure, low levels of “good cholesterol” high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high levels of triglycerides in the blood, or a family history of diabetes might also increase your chances of getting diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is another factor. If you had gestational diabetes during your pregnancy, you are at a higher risk of having type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include extreme thirst, excessive hunger, sudden weight loss, frequent urination, tiredness, frequent infections of skin, gums, vaginal or urinary tract, slow-healing sores and blurry vision.

Many people, however, can have type 2 diabetes without realizing. This is because the symptoms can be mild, and don’t necessarily make you feel unwell.

Can diabetes lead to other problems?

If left untreated and uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to a range of problems. These problems can be caused gradually, so it’s important to get an early diagnosis where possible, and keep good control over your blood sugar levels.

Complications of untreated diabetes can include: cardiovascular disease, nerve, kidney and eye damage, skin conditions, Alzheimer’s and depression. ^[1]