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The definition of NHS Diabetes, as stated by the National Health Service (NHS) is the condition when the body is unable to process sugars and starches correctly and turn them into energy. There is a reduction of insulin, the chemical that regulates the sugar in the blood and helps to distribute it to the cells. The result of this is a variety of symptoms which, if left untreated, can lead to a series of serious complications that may lead to death.
As defined by the NHS Diabetes falls into 2 categories, both are similar in effect but the have different causes. Type 2 diabetes is usually caused by conditions associated with obesity and/or poor diet. Therefore, type 2 diabetes can be controlled and even reversed if the person affected makes the appropriate lifestyle changes. Type 1 Diabetes cannot be reversed because the cause is one that is related to other genetic or similar matters that lifestyle changes no effect, although improving the diet and increasing exercise can avert many of the complications of the disease.
Both types of diabetes can be diagnosed quickly with a blood or urine check. These tests measure the amount of sugar present in the blood or urine and can be followed up with other tests to verify that diabetes has set in. Your NHS Diabetes nurse will show you how this is checked.
The symptoms of diabetes may go undetected by those affected or misdiagnosed as other types of ailments before they get tested. All the while the diabetes is causing damage to their blood vessels. Such damage may go undetected for long periods of time until it become too late to address. By getting diagnosed early by a NHS Diabetes practitioner, such diabetic complications can be held in check or even avoided all together.
The most common of the diabetes complication is heart disease. Those with diabetes have twice the likelihood of developing this disease due to the greater build up of fat and cholesterol that interferes with blood flow.
Kidney disease is another complication of diabetes as the higher amounts of sugar in the bloodstream interfere with the kidney’s ability to glean away waste products in the blood. Damage to the eyes is also more common in those suffering with diabetic complications resulting in blurred vision and damage to the eye itself, which may lead to blindness. A decrease in blood flow to the extremities, particularly the legs and feet are also common diabetes complications that may result in amputation if left unchecked.
For those identified with diabetes type 2, management of the symptoms can be done by eating a good, well balanced diet and exercising frequently, while monitoring the blood glucose amounts. Such lifestyle changes can significantly lower glucose or sugar levels in the blood and medication or insulin supplements many not be needed.
Even with successful treatment, diabetes type 2 can come back in the later years of life, so periodic monitoring of the glucose levels and reviews with your NHS Diabetes nurse is a must in order to address this disease before it causes any significant damage.