1. Here are a few diabetes-related facts that most people are probably not aware of. It is the world’s most rapidly spreading illness. It is the sixth most widespread cause of death in Australia. More than a million Australians have it, although 50% of them are currently unaware of it. Someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 10 minutes. There is a lot of information, but what exactly is diabetes?

2. Diabetes is the term given to a set of various disorders that occur when there is excessive glucose present in the blood. Here’s what tends to happen: Our body requires glucose as its key source of fuel or energy. The body produces glucose from meals containing carbohydrates such as starchy vegetables (like potatoes or maize) and cereal foods (such as bread, pasta, and rice), along with fruits and milk. Blood transports glucose throughout the body, and the amount of glucose is termed “glycemia.” Glycemia (blood sugar levels) in people and animals must be absolutely perfect, neither too high nor too low. In order for the glucose to enter the body tissues, it must first leave the bloodstream, where it is already present. This is when insulin enters the picture. The pancreas, a gland situated right below the stomach, produces the hormone insulin. Insulin unlocks the door that allows glucose from the blood to enter the body cells, where it is converted into energy. This process is termed glucose metabolism. In diabetes, the pancreas either cannot produce insulin or produces insufficient insulin, which is futile. The glucose pathways are closed if insulin isn’t working as it ought to. Blood glucose levels rise as a result of glucose buildup, which leads to diabetes-related medical conditions.

3. People may refer to the illness as diabetes, though there are two forms of the disease. High blood glucose levels caused by the absence of insulin are a characteristic of type 1 diabetes. It happens when the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells are attacked and destroyed by the body’s immune system. Consequently, the pancreas yields little or no insulin. Although it may appear in adults, type 1 diabetes often emerges in young individuals. The most prevalent kind of diabetes is type 2. In type 2 diabetes, the cells will either not react to the insulin or the body will not create enough of it. For the body to be able to fully utilise sugar, it needs insulin. The primary source of energy for the body’s cells is sugar, which insulin carries from the blood to the cells.

4. Diabetes is usually diagnosed based on the type of diabetes that the patient possesses. Type 1 diabetes is typically detected fairly early since the symptoms are often sudden and perhaps even life-threatening; hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) may lead to comas. Many patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit no symptoms at all, whereas other symptoms may go overlooked since they are considered a typical feature of “growing older.” As a result, many people’s blood sugar levels could be incredibly high by the time symptoms appear. Common signs and symptoms include excessive thirst, excessive urination, being tired, constant hunger, slower wound healing, itching, skin infections, bad breath, blurred vision, unexplained weight transition, mood swings, migraines, dizziness, and leg cramps.

5. There is no cure for diabetes at the moment, though there is a significant amount of research being done to discover one and to provide better treatment strategies and solutions until a solution is found. Each diabetes treatment aims to get your blood sugars into the non-diabetic range as often as possible, irrespective of whether you suffer from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. For patients with Type 1 diabetes, this will involve daily injections of insulin as well as living a healthy lifestyle. For people who have Type 2 diabetes, healthy food and regular physical exercise may be all that is necessary initially; however, medications and perhaps insulin may be required later on. Frequent self-testing is recommended in order to maintain blood glucose levels as close as possible to the non-diabetic range. This could help avoid any short-term impacts of either low or excessively high blood sugar levels, as well as the potential long-term issues. Insulin has to be injected into the system if an individual is dependent on it. Insulin is not available as a tablet. Similar to the protein in food, insulin would be processed during digestion. To get insulin into your blood, it has to be injected into the fat beneath your skin. Diabetes may result in significant issues for patients. There could be issues if glucose accumulates in the blood rather than entering cells. Long-term high blood sugar levels may result in heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, amputations, and blindness, whereas short-term issues are identical to the symptoms. Out-of-range cholesterol levels and blood pressure can also lead to further complications like heart attacks and strokes, and 2 out of 3 patients end up dying from these issues. Type 2 diabetes raises a person’s chance of a heart attack and stroke by 14 and up to 30 times, respectively, compared to other young people aged 18 to 44. Young males are twice as likely to have a stroke than young women, while young women account for nearly the entire spike in the risk of heart attacks. This indicates that a larger number of individuals will develop heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes than expected, often years or even decades in advance.