What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells.
Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood glucose (sugar) levels during pregnancy are said to have Gestational diabetes. According to a 2014 analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of Gestational diabetes is as high as 9.2%.
We don't know what causes Gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.
Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia...learn more (PDF)
There are three main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes. It is usually caused by an auto-immune reaction where the body’s defence system attacks the cells that produce insulin. The reason this occurs is not fully understood. People with Type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin. The disease may affect people of any age, but usually develops in children or young adults. People with this form of diabetes need injections of insulin every day in order to control the levels of glucose in their blood. If people with Type 1 diabetes do not have access to insulin, they will die.
Type 2 diabetes used to be called non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, and accounts for at least 90% of all cases of diabetes. It is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency, either or both of which may be present at the time diabetes is diagnosed. The diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes can occur at any age. Type 2 diabetes may remain undetected for many years and the diagnosis is often made when a complication appears or a routine blood or urine glucose test is done. It is often, but not always, associated with overweight or obesity, which itself can cause insulin resistance and lead to high blood glucose levels. People with Type 2 diabetes can often initially manage their condition through exercise and diet. However, over time most people will require oral drugs and or insulin.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are serious. There is no such thing as mild diabetes.
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes consisting of high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. It develops in one in 25 pregnancies worldwide and is associated with complications to both mother and baby. GDM usually disappears after pregnancy but women with GDM and their children are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Approximately half of women with a history of GDM go on to develop Type 2 diabetes within five to ten years after delivery.
Other specific types of diabetes also exist.
Diabetes Eye Health
Diabetic retinopathy affects over one third of all people with diabetes and is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults. Globally the prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly and without effective action, so too will the number of people with diabetic retinopathy.
The management of diabetes and its complications begins in primary health care and this should include screening for diabetic retinopathy. Those working in primary health care are at the frontline of supporting people with diabetes to understand how to look after their eyes, access eye health exams and to refer those requiring treatment..Click here to learn more [PDF]
