Type 2 Diabetes is a serious condition, which in many cases is entirely preventable. It's one key reason why we should all be aiming for a healthy lifestyle.
Educating people about Type 2 Diabetes is something I feel very strongly about and therefore I wanted dedicate this post to this particular topic. If you would like help in improving your health, do get in touch.
Type 2 Diabetes: The Facts
If you are overweight, inactive, have high blood pressure and/or high cholestrol levels, your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes is greatly increased.
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance).
- If left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure.
- By the time they are diagnosed, half of the people with Type 2 diabetes show signs of complications
Cardiovascular Disease
- Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death and disability in people with diabetes, accounting for 52 per cent in people with Type 2
- People with Type 2 diabetes have a two-fold increased risk of stroke within the first five years of diagnosis compared with the general population
- People with diabetes have an increased risk of Cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with those without diabetes. The reason is prolonged, poorly controlled blood glucose levels, which increases the likelihood of furring up of the vessels leading to CVD. The term CVD includes heart disease, stroke and all other diseases of the heart and circulation. Research shows that you can reduce the overall chance of developing CVD by improving dietary habits, managing weight and keeping active. Using medication where required will also help to control risk factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, triglyceride levels and high blood pressure
Kidney Disease
- Almost one in three people with Type 2 diabetes develops overt kidney disease
- Kidney disease can happen to anyone but it is much more common in people with diabetes and people with high blood pressure. The kidneys are the organs that filter and clean the blood and get rid of any waste products by making urine. They regulate the amount of fluid and various salts in the body, helping to control blood pressure. They also release several hormones. Kidney disease (or nephropathy) is caused by damage to small blood vessels making the kidneys work less efficiently and this can cause the kidneys to start to fail. Keeping blood glucose levels as near normal as possible and blood pressure well controlled can greatly reduce the risk of kidney disease developing as well as other diabetes complications. Diabetes is the single most common cause of end stage renal disease
Problems with Sight
- People with diabetes are 10 to 20 times more likely to go blind than people without.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people of working age in the UK. It is estimated that there are 4,200 people in England who are blind due to diabetic retinopathy.
- People with diabetes are at risk of developing a complication called retinopathy. Retinopathy affects the blood vessels supplying the retina – the seeing part of the eye. Blood vessels in the retina of the eye can become blocked, leaky or grow haphazardly. This damage gets in the way of the light passing through to the retina and if left untreated can damage vision. Keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and blood fat levels under control will help to reduce the risk of developing retinopathy. Within 20 years of diagnosis almost two thirds of people with Type 2 diabetes (60 per cent) have some degree of retinopathy
- People with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer from cataracts or glaucoma than the general population
- Diabetes is the most common cause of lower limb amputations. 100 people a week lose a toe, foot or lower limb due to diabetes.
- Around one in twenty people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in one year. More than one in ten foot ulcers result in the amputation of a foot or a leg. The rate of leg amputations in people with diabetes is over 15 times higher than in people without
- Up to 70 per cent of people die within five years of having an amputation as a result of diabetes
- Foot problems can affect anyone who has diabetes. Diabetes, particularly if it is poorly controlled, can damage your nerves, muscles, sweat glands and circulation in the feet and legs leading to amputations. Reviewing the feet of people with diabetes regularly and keeping blood glucose levels, blood fats and blood pressure under control can prevent some of the complications associated with the feet.
For further information: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Reports/Diabetes_in_the_UK_2010.pdf
Karen Dawkins, Personal Trainer, Winchester
