What is Diabetes?

When food is digested it is broken down into sugars and these sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream and used as a source of energy. Insulin is a hormone produced by the body, which allows cells to take in sugar. If the sugar levels are not right the body will not be able to function properly. Diabetes is the condition where there is a shortage of insulin within the body.

In the U.K. there are approximately 2 million diabetics.

Diabetes can be controlled. Diabetics need to monitor their sugar levels closely throughout the day to ensure that they maintain a level of insulin or sugar in their blood circulation.


Signs that you may have diabetes

Signs include but are not limited to the fact that you may be tired all the time and that you are always very thirsty, regardless of how much you actually drink. If you are concerned, go and see a doctor as soon as possible.


In an Emergency
There are two main conditions that diabetics suffer from:

HYPERGLYCEMIA – where the insulin level is too low and blood sugar level is too high.

HYPOGLYCEMIA – where the insulin level is too high and blood sugar level is too low.

The symptoms of the two conditions are very similar. They include drowsiness, confusion, dizziness, rapid breathing, rapid pulse and sweating. However the body is still cold to touch even when sweating.

If you know the person has diabetes you should always treat the condition as if it was Hypoglycemia and give the person something with lots of sugar to either eat or drink. Normally the person should recover in 5 minutes or so.
You should call an ambulance immediately anyway.