Diabetes

More information

Diabetes is a lifelong condition which causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. This level of blood sugar is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas.

When food is digested by your body, and enters into your bloodstream, the insulin moves glucose out of your blood and into cells – where it’s broken down to produce energy.

Consequently, sufferers must watch their sugar intake and monitor blood glucose but needn't worry as this is made easy with monitoring systems and meters. There are also special chocolate and sweeteners readily available for diabetics.

Common symptoms of Diabetes

The main symptoms of diabetes are:

• Feeling very thirsty
• Urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night
• Feeling very tired
• Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
• Itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
• Cuts or wounds that heal slowly 
• Blurred vision (caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry)

Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days. Many people have type 2 diabetes for years without realising because the early symptoms tend to be general.

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