Understanding Diabetes: Types, Diagnosis, and Prevalence

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a condition that affects blood sugar levels in an individual. The two main types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. Although other types exist, they are much rarer.

Types of Diabetes

Diabetes is diagnosed by testing blood sugar levels. Technically, there are only diabetic and non-diabetic diagnoses, but there is a middle ground where diabetes appears to be developing, known as pre-diabetes.

Hereditary Factors

While most types of diabetes are not hereditary, an individual's DNA can influence the risk of developing the condition.

Prevalence of Diabetes

According to Diabetes UK, more than 5 million people could have diabetes in the UK by 2025. Currently, around 400 million adults worldwide are affected by diabetes. In the UK, someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes, and more than 500 people with the condition die prematurely each week. One in 15 people in the UK have diabetes, and approximately 1 million people are living undiagnosed.

Distribution of Diabetes Types

• 90% of people with diabetes have Type 2
• 8% have Type 1
• 2% have rarer types of diabetes

Famous People with Diabetes

Many famous individuals live with diabetes, including Nick Jonas, Theresa May, and Tom Hanks.

Raising Awareness

To raise awareness of diabetes, World Diabetes Day takes place on the 14th of November each year. Consider what you can do to help raise awareness and support those affected by diabetes.