All You Need to Know

• What are the types of diabetes?

  There are two main types of diabetes - type one and type two.

  Type one diabetes is a lifelong condition when your body can't make insulin.

  Type two diabetes is when your body makes insulin, but it doesn't work properly, or your body doesn't make enough of it. This is far more common than type one.

  Other types of diabetes include gestational diabetes, which happens during pregnancy. There are also many other rarer types of diabetes.

• What are the symptoms of diabetes?

  The main symptoms of diabetes include:

  • Feeling very thirsty
  • Peeing more frequently than usual, particularly at night
  • Feeling very tired
  • Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
  • Itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
  • Blurred vision.

  Type one diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days.

  Type two diabetes can be much slower and some people can have it for years without realising, because the early symptoms tend to be general, or there are no symptoms at all.

• What can I do to stop me getting diabetes?

  There is nothing you can do to lower the risk of getting type one diabetes. The exact cause is unknown, although you might be more at risk if you have a family history of type one diabetes.

  You can reduce the risk of getting type two diabetes by eating healthily, getting regular exercise and making sure your body weight is healthy. Use the calculator tool below to check if your weight is healthy.

  Stopping smoking and not drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol will also reduce the risk.

  NHS BMI calculator

• What treatment is there for diabetes?

  With all forms of diabetes, it is important to have a healthy diet, stay active and keep your body weight healthy.

  If you have type one diabetes, you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life. This can be done by injecting yourself with insulin, or using an insulin pump.

  If you have type two diabetes, you might be able to manage it by eating healthily, exercising and losing weight. You might need medication to keep your blood sugar levels down, or you might have to take insulin.

  Your GP or diabetes specialist will be able to tell you which treatment you need, so it's important to get medical advice if you think you have diabetes.