Diabetes is a chronic health condition in which the body is either unable to produce insulin, produces too little insulin, or becomes resistant to insulin, resulting in the improper breakdown of sugar (glucose).  As a result blood sugar levels rise to a dangerous level.

It is a serious condition that needs controlling and maintaining to avoid complications

Diabetes is actually a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both, resulting in either hypo- (abnormally low blood sugar) or hyperglycaemia (an elevated concentration of glucose in the blood).

The primary types of diabetes include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. It occurs most usually from childhood or teen years.

Type 2 diabetes consists of a resistance to insulin produced by the body. Obesity is a heavy contributor to its development, as is type 1 diabetes and high (imbalanced) cholesterol levels.

Insulin resistance occurs when the body fails to respond effectively to the insulin already produced by the pancreatic beta cells.

Type 2 diabetes usually affects adults following a trigger. This could be another illness or the effects of obesity, for example.

Other forms of diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed during pregnancy where a woman is not able to increase their secretion of insulin. Gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the fetus. Genetics and obesity are major contributing factors.

Gestational diabetes is usually asymptomatic and not necessarily life threatening to the mother. This condition is associated with an increase in neonatal morbidity, neonatal hypoglycaemia and jaundice.

It is characterized by excessive hunger, thirst, and the need to urinate, it is a mild condition and often goes unnoticed, but it is important to treat because elevated blood sugar levels can damage the fetus.

It has been found to respond well, and even to resolve, with a combination of diet, exercise and appropriate supplementation where necessary.

Secondary diabetes is named due to it forming as a result of other particular conditions, such as pancreatic disease, hormone disturbances, drug overuse and malnutrition.

Impaired glucose tolerance is a condition that shows blood glucose levels that are intermediate between normal and clearly abnormal.

Diabetes is often under diagnosed, being more likely to be recorded as one of the major complications of circulatory problems and heart disease (arthersclerosis, stroke, or high blood pressure), kidney disease, retinopathy (damage to the retina), blindness, nerve damage and even foot ulcers (heart attacks and strokes are more common in diabetics due to the increased risk of clogging of blood vessels). Diabetic skin lesions are also a possible long term effect.

In all forms of diabetes, high levels of blood glucose increase the risk of the above, what are now known to be diabetes-related complications (rather than diseases in their own right).

Diabetic retinopathy is a damage to the retina of the eye that can eventually lead to blindness. It often has no early warning signs. In general however, a person is likely to notice blurred vision, which in some cases will get worse during the day.
As new blood vessels form at the back of the eye as a part of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) process they can bleed and further blur vision. In extreme cases a person may only be able to tell light from dark in that eye.

These conditions are also multi-generating, i.e. it has been proven that high blood pressure and high levels of blood glucose can themselves increase the risk of a person with diabetes progressing to other severe, potentially fatal complications such as kidney failure.

People with diabetes have an increased mortality rate due to all these consequent complications.

Left untreated (or undiagnosed), or mismanaged diabetes can easily lead to any or all of these long-term damages and major organ failures.
Further Type 1 and type 2 complications
Other complications related to immunity depletion include ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders, genitourinary and sexual dysfunctions. Complications with both type I and II occur when blood sugar levels are not properly controlled. Ketoacidosis (not taking enough insulin, allowing glucose to build up in the blood), and hyperosmolar nonketogenic coma (severe dehydration) are examples.

Complications can be acute and chronic. People with diabetes can suffer both high and low blood sugar episodes. Acute conditions resulting from one or either form of diabetes include:

Hypoglycaemia (or dangerously low blood sugar) and

Hyperglycaemia (or dangerously high blood sugar).

These are both life-threatening and need to be managed and maintained.