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  |  Women's Health  |  Menopause & HRT  |  The diabetes explosion
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The diabetes explosion

continued from page 1

The two types

Type 1 diabetes develops when there is a severe lack of insulin in the body because most or all of the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed. This type of diabetes often appears suddenly in childhood, though it can occur up to the late 30s. The cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body's immune system for an as yet unknown reason. About 350,000 people in the UK have this type of diabetes.

  • Treatment consists of lifelong administration of insulin, exercise and a healthy diet. At the present time insulin is given daily by injections, using various types of insulin. New genetically produced insulin as close in structure to human insulin as possible is available, said to give better control of blood glucose levels over a long period of time. Insulin can also be given continuously using a pump. Research is being carried out into insulin administered nasally, and transplants of pancreatic islet cells to produce insulin in the diabetic patient's body.

  • Type 2 diabetes develops when the insulin produced does not work properly at the tissue level (known as insulin resistance). Reduced amounts of insulin are also produced and this becomes more of a problem the longer the person is affected.It is increasing across all age groups, including children and young people. Doctors are warning that the number of sufferers of Type 2 diabetes is set to rise to three million in the next decade.

  • The condition develops slowly over a number of years. It is estimated that at the time of diagnosis many people will have had the problem for 10 years or more, and have sometimes developed severe complications by that time. Predisposition to Type 2 diabetes including a family history of the disease, being of Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin, being very overweight or having had a baby weighing 4kg (8lbs 13oz) or over. About one in three affected people have a close relative with Type 2 diabetes.

  • Treatment: when the disease is first diagnosed the mainstay of treatment is a lifelong healthy diet and regular exercise. In time, if the condition is out of control, it will be necessary to treat with tablets, and when a person has had Type 2 diabetes for 10-15 years there is a good chance that insulin injections will also be required.


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