Background on Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus (often referred to simply as diabetes) is a medical condition in which the body doesn't produce or use insulin, leading to dangerously high levels of glucose in the blood.The food we consume is converted into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use as energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, creates a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.
Diabetes causes sugars to build up in your blood. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is predicted by a clear set of symptoms, but it still often goes undiagnosed.
There are currently over 2.5 million people with diabetes in the UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who have the condition who aren’t aware of it. (according to latest figures from Diabetes UK).