Diabetes is a medical condition in which sugar in the blood is higher than normal . There are two main types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is more common in young people. This type of diabetes is also termed insulin dependent diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes
Generally this type of diabetes affects adults who are over the age of 40 and overweight individuals. Generally this is non insulin dependent.
Gestational Diabetes This type of diabetes is linked with pregnancy. The warning signs of diabetes disappear after the birth of the baby. However if a woman suffers from gestational diabetes then she has an increased risk of developing diabetes type 2 later in her life. Secondary Diabetes Secondary diabetes onsets because of some other condition like inflammation of pancreas or because of using certain drugs like steroids.
How Common Is Diabetes? There are around 2.3 million people suffering from diabetes in United Kingdom. At the same time it is also estimated that around half million people are suffering from the disease but are unaware of their medical condition. There has been a 3 folds increase in the diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes. This is an alarming figure as previously this disease was only seen in old age people and now it is becoming common in teenagers as well as young children. This reflects rising level of obesity in children. Increase in obesity level leads to diabetes type 2.
What Causes Diabetes? It is important to know that insulin is a hormone that controls the level of blood glucose. This hormone is produced by pancreas glands of abdomen. It regulates the use of glucose in one's body. The blood sugar level starts to rise if *Pancreas starts producing little or no insulin as is the case in type 1 diabetes *Pancreas keep on producing insulin but the effectiveness of provided insulin is reduced. Diabetes type 2 is more linked with the factors that are the part of Western living. The disease is more common in those who are either obese or do not get adequate exercise. The cause of gestational diabetes is the hormonal changes during pregnancy. The cause of secondary diabetes is more like type 2 diabetes; however it could vary depending upon the exact cause. The secondary diabetes could be triggered because of the damage to pancreas and as a side effect of drugs like diuretics and steroids. Warning Signs Of Diabetes Glucose is the primary fuel for the body. If there isn't enough glucose in the cells where it is required then the level of blood glucose starts to rise. This results in diabetes symptoms. The common diabetes symptoms are * Excessive thirst * Recurrent urination * Tiredness * Weight loss in spite of increase in hunger * Recurrent skin infections * Itchiness around the genitals The diabetes symptoms onsets very quickly in type 1 diabetics; sometimes even within few weeks or days. Symptoms of diabetes type 2 sometimes do not show even for years. Most type 2 diabetic cases are diagnosed during their routine check up. Heredity factors play a significant role in case of type 2 diabetics.