What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a medical condition, characterized by the elevation of the blood sugar, which over the course of many years causes damage to certain parts of your body.

Type 1 diabetes typically comes on early in the first three decades in life, it requires insulin treatment typically within weeks of diagnosis and it requires insulin treatment forever.

Type 2 diabetes is different, it is frequently controlled by diet and exercise and if more is required typically we give tablets rather than insulin. The other names that have been given it are non-insulin dependent diabetes or maturity onset diabetes.

Diabetes is defined by a blood sugar greater than 7.0 mmols/L in the fasting state or a blood sugar greater than 11.1mmols/L two hours after eating.