WHAT IS DIABETES

Over 90,000 children between the ages of 0 to 14 have diabetes in the UK.

Diabetes occurs when the body is either unable to produce insulin ( a hormone produced by the pancreas) or cannot produce enough to properly control blood glucose (sugar).

Normally glucose enters the blood stream following the digestion of foods containing carbohydrate (sugar) such as bread, pasta, potato, rice or sweet foods such as sweets, chocolate, cakes and pastries. If you think of your body as a car these are the fuels the car needs to travel (our energy source).

In order for the glucose in the blood stream to be used by the body, insulin is required. If we think of the car again once we have the fuel we need the key to start it – insulin! Insulin allows the glucose to move from the blood stream into the muscles and tissues in our body to be used as energy.

If there isn’t enough insulin being produced the glucose will remain trapped in the blood stream. Leading to a person developing diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2.

If diabetes is not well controlled over a long period, then further health conditions may occur in later life. These include; heart problems, eyesight problems and feet problems. There are also more health problems that can occur in the long term these may include:

• Atheroma ('furring or hardening of the arteries'). This can cause problems such as angina, heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation.



• Kidney damage, which sometimes develops into kidney failure.

• Eye problems, which can affect vision (due to damage to the small arteries of the retina at the back of the eye). It is very important to look after your eyes if you are diabetic, if problems keep occurring with bad eyesight, then there is a possibility that you can go blind.



• Damage to the nervous system.



• Foot problems (due to poor circulation and nerve damage).

 

The type and severity of long-term complications varies from case to case. You may not develop any at all. In general, the nearer your blood glucose level is to normal, the less your risk of developing complications. Your risk of developing complications is also reduced if you deal with any other 'risk factors' that you may have such as high blood pressure.