An astonishing number of people now have diabetes in the UK, as a charity warns of a spiralling health crisis.
The increasingly common condition causes a person’s blood sugar to become too high – essentially an inability of the body to break down glucose levels.
Ninety per cent of those affected have Type 2 diabetes, which can be hereditary but is often triggered by a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.
Diabetes
UK says 4.3million people have been diagnosed with either Type 1 or Type 2 — and an estimated 850,000 more are unaware they even have the condition.
Charity CEO Chris Askew said: “These figures show we’re in the grip of a rapidly escalating crisis.
“Spiralling numbers of people are now living with Type 2 diabetes and millions are at high risk of developing the condition.
“The fear of serious complications is a life-long reality for millions of people across the UK.”
There are two main types of diabetes:
is when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.
is the most common, and it’s when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells fail to react to insulin. This one is considered the easier to manage of the two.
It’s a serious condition which increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, narrowing of blood vessels and nerve damage.
Two-thirds of the population are overweight, which raises their risk. Figures reveal around 2.4million people are at ‘high risk’ of Type 2 diabetes, with an alarming increase among the under-40s.
Yet Mr Askew added: “With the right care and support, cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or put into remission.”
The NHS
says you should visit your GP if you experience any of the following symptoms of diabetes, or a condition known aspre-diabetes.
Despite its name, being pre-diabetic is still a serious health condition. It’s where a person’s blood sugar levels are high, but not yet high enough to class the person as having diabetes. It is a real warning sign that thankfully can be reversed.
Insulin helps blood sugar enter the body’s cells so it can be used for energy
It may not be as well known, but having a rash that can appear in a number of places on the body can point towards pre-diabetes, or with actual diabetes.
As to what the rash looks like, this depends entirely on the cause.
There are five types of rash that occur in those with diabetes:
The Cleveland Clinic describes this as “painless blisters [that] may form on the backs of hands and feet and on the legs and forearms”. This condition often affects people with diabetic neuropathy – a condition where the nerves are damaged through diabetes.
This is where the shins become covered in light-brown patches of scaly skin. They can often look like age spots and don’t require any treatment.
This is a type of rash that appears if you have type 1 diabetes. It causes the skin to harden up and turn waxy on the back of the hands.
This is a lower leg rash that’s more often found in women. It can cause red, raised, and shiny patches of skin, with a yellow centre.
This is where ulcers develop following trauma to the skin. The ulcers can take a long time to heal and can become infected.
– Stress can cause blood sugar levels to rise, so relaxing is important.
– Continuous glucose monitoring is important to manage diabetes. It can help you react more quickly to whether it is high or low.
– Drinking alcohol can produce signs of low blood sugar
– Diabetes puts you at greater risk for gum disease as people with the condition have a lowered ability to fight infection from bacteria in the mouth
– Reduce sugar in your diet
by adding your own sweeteners