Diabetes is a chronic disease that arises when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that enables cells to take glucose from the blood and use it for energy. Failure of insulin production, insulin action or both leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (hyperglycaemia).

Diabetes is a serious disease that has reached epidemic proportions in Canada. If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications including: blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and limb amputation. However, with proper diabetes management, its complications can be prevented or delayed.

There are three main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a non-preventable autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. It is a devastating disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, leaving them dependent on injected or pumped insulin for life. It has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle, and there is nothing anyone can do to prevent it. Insulin is not a cure, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, amputation, and pregnancy complications. Approximately 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

The remaining 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced. Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children in high-risk populations are being diagnosed.

A third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It affects approximately 3.7 per cent of all pregnancies (in the non-Aboriginal population) and 8 – 18 per cent of all pregnancies (in the Aboriginal population), and involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.

Diabetes Facts

• By 2010 more than 3 million Canadians will live with some form of diabetes.
• Globally, every ten seconds two people develop diabetes.
• Canada has the sixth highest incidence rate of type 1 diabetes in children 14 years of age or younger in the world.
• Over 300,000 Canadians live with type 1 diabetes. This number is increasing by three to five per cent annually, the greatest rise is in children age five to nine years of age.
• The cost of treating diabetes and diabetes-related complications is currently more than $15.6 billion dollars in Canada, and is projected to rise to $19.2 billion by 2010.

It is estimated that 6 million Canadians have prediabetes. If left untreated, approximately 25 per cent of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within three to five years. Prediabetes is a term for impaired glucose tolerance, or blood glucose levels that are near but not quite at the level that defines a diabetes diagnosis.

The good news is that many people who fall into the prediabetes stage can delay or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes and if required, medication. Studies have shown that through lifestyle changes, including moderate weight loss and regular exercise, the onset of type 2 diabetes can be delayed by up to 58 per cent.

Know the warning signs

The signs and symptoms of diabetes include:

• excessive thirst
• frequent urination
• increased hunger
• weight change (gain or loss)
• extreme fatigue or lack of energy
• blurred vision
• vomiting and stomach pains (often mistaken as the flu)
• frequent or recurring infections
• cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
• tingling or numbness in hands or feet.

For in-depth information on type 1 (juvenile) diabetes and type 2 diabetes, please visit www.jdrf.ca or www.diabetes.ca.