For further information please click on any of the points below each heading.

Information on Diabetes - Useful Links and Information below

• Understanding Care Plan for Type 1 Diabetes
• Understanding Care Plan for Type 2 Diabetes
• Advice for travellers with diabetes mellitus
• A guide to testing for people with diabetes
• Blood Glucose Testing - Understanding your Results
• Safe disposal of Sharps
• "Care of the Diabetic Foot with Impaired Sensation" - Leaflet
• "How to Check your Shoes" - Leaflet
• "Painful Diabetic Neuropathy" - Leaflet
• "Care of the Diabetic Foot" - Leaflet
• Pre-Diabetes
• Avoiding Diabetes

Quick Links

• Devon Diabetes
• Diabetes UK
• Symptoms of Diabetes
• What is Diabetes and who gets it?
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 Diabetes  
• Other forms of Diabetes
• Do you think that you might have diabetes?

What are the Symptoms of Diabetes?  top>>

• Increased thirst.
• Passing urine more frequently-especially at night.
• Extreme tiredness.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Genital itching or regular episodes of thrush.
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing of cuts and wounds.

Type 2 diabetes develops more slowly over a period of years. Some people may not notice the symptoms and put them down to getting older. People who are most at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes are people with a close family member who has Type 2 diabetes or people who are overweight.

Type 1 diabetes develops much more quickly, mainly in younger people, and the symptoms are usually quite obvious.

If you think that you may have diabetes please make an appointment to see your GP or one of the nurses for a blood test.

What is Diabetes and who gets it? top>>

Diabetes is a common health problem. About 1.5 million people in the UK have diabetes. And for every person who knows they have the condition, there is probably another person who does not yet know. Most people have Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is not infectious.

Type 1 diabetes top>>

Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin producing cells in the pancreas have been destroyed. Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but it is thought that the body destroys the cells as an unusual response to fighting infection. It is often triggered by a viral or other kind of infection.

Type 1 diabetes used to be called insulin dependent diabetes because it is always treated with insulin injections. People who develop diabetes under the age of 40 and especially in childhood, usually have this type of diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes   top>>

Type 2 diabetes usually appears in middle age or in older people, although more frequently it is being diagnosed in overweight people at a younger age. The main cause is that the pancreas produces insufficient insulin. This insulin is ineffective in overweight people because the body cells are resistant to its action (Insulin resistance). It is more common in people who have close relatives with the condition.

Type 2 diabetes has sometimes been wrongly described as 'mild diabetes'. There is no such thing as mild diabetes as all forms of diabetes can develop very serious complications if it not treated and managed well.

Other forms of Diabetes top>>

Diabetes can develop during pregnancy, but with proper antenatal care it will be detected early and can be treated. It usually resolves after delivery, but the mother will be at an increase risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in later life. Other causes for diabetes can be genetic or from a diseased pancreas and are rare.

Do you think that you might have diabetes? top>>

A simple blood test will detect it. Keeping your weight within normal limits and taking regular exercise will help to prevent many cases of Type 2 diabetes.