Diabetes - Are You At Risk?

Are you over 50 and overweight – and maybe not quite as physically active as you would like to be? If the answer is yes, then you’re a prime candidate to join about 800,000 other Australians with diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot use glucose properly – and glucose is our body cells’ major source of energy. Insulin is the hormone our body produces to enable the glucose to enter the cells. If we cannot produce enough insulin, or the insulin we do produce is not effective, then diabetes is the result.

Diabetes is classified into two main types – Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in childhood or young adulthood. It is thought to occur when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas gland. Because the body stops making insulin, people with this form of diabetes need daily insulin injections.

Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes usually occur abruptly and are quite noticeable – they can include excessive thirst and urination, unexplained weight loss, weakness, fatigue and irritability. However, Type 1 diabetes represents only about 10-15 percent of all cases of diabetes.

The majority of cases of diabetes are Type 2, when insulin is still produced by the pancreas but, for some reason, it doesn’t work effectively. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adults over the age of 50 but increasingly it is occurring at a younger age. If you have a close relative with diabetes, you are at greater risk yourself; and lifestyle factors such as an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are known to make Type 2 diabetes more likely.

Diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes, is like a time bomb. With Type 2 diabetes the symptoms sometimes go unnoticed. For Type 2 diabetes the symptoms can include any of those for Type 1 but as well they can include blurred vision, more frequent skin infections, sores and wounds which are slow to heal, and tingling and numbness in the feet.

The good news is that, when detected early, treatment is simple and straightforward. It might just involve regular exercise, some slight changes to eating habits and possibly medicine (tablets or capsules) taken orally. In some cases, people with Type 2 diabetes may need insulin injections to control their diabetes.

On the other hand, uncontrolled diabetes poses a serious threat to our health and wellbeing. Complications can include blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation, increased risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as impotence in men.

Helping defuse diabetes is the theme of this year’s National Diabetes Week – July 16-22. It’s a campaign in which we can all easily participate. The first step is to increase our own understanding and awareness of diabetes and check whether we fall into that high risk group.