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Regional Initiatives
Diabetes
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Author: admin
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Modified date: 09 August 2002 5:19pm
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Diabetes – did you know?
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Every ten minutes, someone, somewhere in Australia is diagnosed with diabetes – the world’s fastest growing chronic disease and the 7th highest killer in Australia.
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Over 150 people per day are diagnosed with diabetes, which results in an average of approximately 55,000 newly diagnosed people each year. There are currently 1,040,000 living with diabetes, half of whom are unaware of their condition, and by 2010, Diabetes Australia expects the number to reach 1.7 million.
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Diabetes does not discriminate – it can strike anyone at anytime during your life – from newborn babies to the elderly.
Diabetes South Australia fact sheet (2002)
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What is diabetes?
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Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. Glucose is normally regulated at a level of between 3.5-8 mmol/l.
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Glucose comes from foods that contain carbohydrate (starch or sugar) and is carried in the blood to the muscles and brain where it is used as fuel.
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The blood glucose is regulated with the help of insulin, which is made in the pancreas. Insulin is the key that glucose needs to enter the muscle cells so that it can be used as fuel.
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Glucose does not need insulin to enter the brain.
There are three main types of diabetes:
Type 1. Diabetes occurs in only 10 –15% of all cases of diabetes.
The insulin producing cells of the pancreas have been destroyed, so little or no insulin can be produced.
It is usually diagnosed in people under 30.
It is treated with insulin injections, together with healthy eating and physical activity.
Symptoms Usually sudden onset, and include excessive thirst, urination, unexplained weight loss, weakness and fatigue, and irritability
Type 2. The majority of people with diabetes have Type 2.
This type of diabetes usually occurs in people over the age of 30, but is becoming more common in children.
It often runs in families and can be triggered by aspects of lifestyle, such as overweight, inactivity and stress.
Diabetes occurs when insulin produced by the pancreas is unable to work properly causing blood glucose to rise slowly.
This type of diabetes is treated with healthy eating and physical activity, and controlling weight, blood glucose and blood lipid levels.
Some people require tablets to control blood glucose levels, while others may require insulin.
Symptoms Sometimes the symptoms are not notices as the disease develops gradually. They include those for Type 1 diabetes, plus blurred vision, skin infections, slow healing, tingling and numbness in the feet.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnancy, and usually disappears after the birth.
Hormones and other factors in pregnancy affect some women so that are less able to produce enough insulin to control blood glucose levels.
This leads to an increase in the blood glucose levels of the mother, and the baby receives high levels of glucose
If the blood glucose levels remain high, the baby will grow large, which sometimes leads to a more difficult birth.
The baby may also have low blood glucose level after birth.
Healthy eating and physical activity usually manage this
Insulin injections may be needed if the blood glucose levels remain high.
Women who experience gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in later years.
Complications of diabetes
Complications include increased risk of heart disease and stroke, blindness kidney failure, limb amputation, and erectile dysfunction in men.
Diabetes and eye disease
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in Australians aged under 60 Cigarette smoking increases this risk
Diabetes and kidney disease
Diabetes is the leading cause of end stage renal disease. Smoking cigarettes increases this risk.
Diabetes and lower limbs
Neuropathy or nerve damage and blood vessel damage may lead to leg ulcers and serious foot problems from which limb amputations may result. Smoking cigarettes increases this risk.
Diabetes and heart disease/stroke
Diabetes is often associated with high blood pressure and high blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides), which increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke. Smoking cigarettes greatly increases this risk.
(Source: International Diabetes Institute 2001)
For further information, contact your nearest Community Health Service:-
Adelaide Hills Community Health Service
PO Box 42, Mt Barker 5251
Ph. 08 8393 1833
Murray Mallee Community Health Service
PO Box 346 Murray Bridge
Ph. 08 85 356800
Southern Fleurieu Health Service
Harbourview Road, Victor Harbor
Ph. 08 8552 0600
Or your local hospital or medical clinic
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