Diabetes Week: take steps to take charge of your health

Did you know? More than 5.8 million people in the UK live with diabetes. Diabetes UK estimates that from this figure, almost 4.6 million know they have diabetes, while nearly 1.3 million could be living with type 2 diabetes and haven’t yet been diagnosed.

For Diabetes Week, Dr Deepa Shanmugasundaram, System Clinical Lead for Diabetes, discusses the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, their symptoms and why health checks are so important.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction where the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to high glucose levels.

It’s not possible to prevent type 1 diabetes and currently there is no cure, but you can manage this condition. It is often diagnosed in children and young people but can happen at any age.

Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that is often preventable or manageable through lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, regular exercise and weight control. It can develop when your blood sugar levels become too high as your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces does not work properly. This type of diabetes is more likely to be seen in adults, although it sometimes affects children.

Recognise the symptoms

The most common symptoms of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:

• feeling thirsty all the time
• peeing more than usual
• feeling very tired
• losing weight without trying to.

These symptoms usually develop quickly over a few days or weeks if you have type 1 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, these symptoms can develop gradually or not at all.

Why are health checks so important

Health checks give you the opportunity to take control of your health, whether you have diabetes or not.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to keep up to date with your annual diabetes health check. This annual review will help you manage your blood sugar levels and prevent serious health complications.

Diabetic eye screening

If you have diabetes, it’s important that you attend a diabetic eye screening appointment every one to two years. This is available to any patients over 12 years old and is the best way to ensure any sight complications are picked up and managed early on.

Complications can include diabetic retinopathy where high blood sugar levels can damage the back of the eye (retina). This can cause blindness if it isn’t diagnosed or treated.

Discover support available to you

Information is available if you have or know a child or young person who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Support is available from NHS England on how to deal with type 1 diabetes, including local support groups and NHS Talking Therapies.

If you have type 2 diabetes, education programmes offer you support to manage this condition, as well as how to prevent it if you’re at risk.

NHS Health Check

If you don’t have diabetes or another long-term health condition, you may be eligible for a free NHS Health Check every five years. This check is designed to spot early signs of various health issues, including type 2 diabetes. To qualify, you must be between 40 and 74 years old.