Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious and chronic condition that affects one in 20 (almost 1.3 million) Australians.^[1]

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas can’t make insulin, isn’t producing enough insulin, or when the insulin produced isn’t used effectively by the body.

Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar, also known as blood glucose. Issues with insulin can lead to low or high blood sugar.

Types of diabetes

There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes

Other types of diabetes include gestational diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system breaks down the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. The cause of this auto-immune reaction is not entirely unknown, though research suggests that environmental factors and genetics may be involved.

Type 1 diabetes commonly occurs under the age of 30, but it can develop at any age.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes represents 85% of all diabetes cases in Australia.^[1] It occurs when cells in the body become resistant to the effects of insulin and when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes is associated with genetic and modifiable lifestyle risk factors.

People with type 2 diabetes may initially have few to no symptoms, or their symptoms may go unnoticed for years.

Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes

Factors that can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes include:

• Family history of diabetes
• Poor diet
• Low levels of physical activity
• Being over 45 (diabetes risk increases with age)
• Pre-diabetes
• Being overweight or obese
• Carrying excess fat around the abdomen
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol, including high LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, low HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and high triglycerides

Symptoms of diabetes

Common symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:

• Frequent urination
• Blurred vision
• Feeling tired or weak
• Slow healing wounds and cuts
• Excessive hunger and/or thirst
• Changes in mood e.g., feeling irritable
• Itching and skin infections
• Unexplained weight loss

How diabetes affects the heart

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes.

Around 65% of CVD deaths in Australia occur in people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes are more likely to experience atherosclerosis at an earlier age and with greater severity.

This increased risk of CVD and atherosclerosis is due to high blood sugar which causes damage to blood vessel walls. This damage can lead to inadequate blood flow to the body’s organs including the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes and nerves, which in turn can lead to problems like heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and blindness.

Even when blood sugar levels are well-managed, people with diabetes are more likely to experience risk factors that can lead to CVD. This includes:

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol, including high LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, low HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and high triglycerides
• Low levels of physical activity

Management of diabetes

There is no cure for diabetes but managing the condition can reduce the risk of further complications.

Diabetes management may include the following:

• Monitoring blood sugar levels
• Managing cholesterol and blood pressure
• Dietary changes
• Weight loss if overweight or obese
• Increasing physical activity
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing alcohol intake
• Taking medications as prescribed by your doctor – these could include metformin, sulfonylureas, and insulin.

Prevention of diabetes

The best way to prevent diabetes is to identify and understand your risk factors.

Once individual risk factors are identified, these can be addressed through lifestyle changes. This may include:

• Increasing physical activity
• Improving your diet – increasing fruit and vegetable intake and reducing consumption of foods that are high in sodium and saturated fats
• Managing your weight
• Managing your cholesterol and blood pressure
• Reducing alcohol intake

Speak to your GP to understand more about heart health and diabetes. You can download our Heart Health Check Guide to take with you to your next appointment.

We also offer free Victor Chang Heart Health Checks. These checks involve on-the-spot measurements of blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Our Heart Health Check specialist will then provide you with personalised recommendations based on your modifiable heart disease risk factors.