Body Talk - 16th December

My guest this week was Dr Eltayeb Marouf, Consultant Endocrinologist at Spire Hartswood Hospital. He was very informative on the subject of diabetes.

There are currently 2.5 million people in the UK with diabetes and about another 500,ooo people who have this condition but don't know it.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is hereditary, and the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. Type 2 can also be genetic but can be brought on by lifestyle issues and environmental factors.

The first and best advice is prevention if you feel that you fall into an at risk category. Lose weight and start exercising, sometimes this can be all that is needed to bring the body back into balance.

Common symptoms are tiredness, irritability, unable to concentrate and susceptibility to infections. If someone else in the family has it and you have some of these symptoms, then it would be worth making an appointment to see your GP. A simple blood test can determine whether or not you have diabetes. If the answer is yes and it is caught early enough it is easily controlled by taking tablets. Advancements in this field of medicine mean that it is now very easy to treat.

If this condition is left, there can be serious long term complications, such as risk of heart attack, loss of limbs and eyesight. Therefore it is vital that you get checked out to avoid the worst case scenario. Spire Hartswood are happy to help and can provide all of the necessary information and care.