Diabetes is a chronic disease. When the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces, Diabetes results. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Raised blood sugar (Hyperglycemia) is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes . Over time it leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Symptoms include excessive excretion of urine thirst constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue.

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin. Previously it was known as insulin-dependent, juvenile Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Formerly it was called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset Type 2 Diabetes .It comprises 90% of people with diabetes around the world, and is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity. Symptoms are often less marked. As a result, the disease may be diagnosed several years after onset, once complications have already arisen. Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring in children.

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. It is most often diagnosed through prenatal screening.

Common consequences of diabetes: Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

•   • Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
•   • Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers and eventual limb amputation.
•   • Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness, and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina.
•   • Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure.
•   • Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves as a result of diabetes, and affects up to 50% of people with diabetes. Common symptoms are tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the feet and hands.

Prevention

Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. People should:

•  ¤ be physically active – at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days. More activity is required for weight control;
•  ¤ eat a healthy diet of with two to three servings of fruit and vegetables a day and reduce sugar and saturated fats intake;
•  ¤ Avoid tobacco use – smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Diagnosis and treatment Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive blood testing. Treatment of diabetes involves Interventions aimed at blood glucose control, blood pressure control and foot care. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin; people with type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medication, but may also require insulin.

Regular screening for retinopathy (which causes blindness), blood lipid control (to regulate cholesterol levels) and Screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease also form part of management of diabetes.