Diabetes

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high.

There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. In 2010, there were approximately 3.1 million people aged 16 or over with diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) in England. By 2030, this figure is expected to rise to 4.6 million, with 90% of those affected having type 2 diabetes.

The charity Diabetes UK estimates that around 850,000 people in England have diabetes but haven't been diagnosed. Many more people have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is sometimes known as prediabetes. If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. It's very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it will get progressively worse if left untreated.

You should therefore visit your GP as soon as possible if you have symptoms, such as feeling thirsty, passing urine more often than usual, and feeling tired all the time

The NHS website has a lot of useful information about diabetes and how it can be managed.