This year, Diabetes Week, which is championed by Diabetes UK, takes place on 9-15 June and is focussing on the health checks that those with diabetes need to have and the reasons why people might not be getting these much needed checks.

What is diabetes

Diabetes is a serious condition where your body cannot make enough insulin in your body to convert glucose (sugar) into energy and therefore your body tries to remove the expelled glucose in other ways, including increasing your need for the toilet and making you more thirsty. The glucose however builds up in your blood, which then causes various symptoms of diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 is usually diagnosed in childhood and means your body cannot make insulin at all. Your body’s immune system attacks the insulin cells and are destroyed and it is therefore considered to be an autoimmune condition. Whereas people with Type 2 diabetes can make insulin; it is simply that they are just not producing enough insulin, or the insulin it makes is not working properly (known as insulin resistance).

Common symptoms

• Toilet – going for a wee a lot, especially at night.
• Thirsty – being really thirsty.
• Tired – feeling more tired than usual.
• Thinner – losing weight without trying to.
• Genital itching or thrush.
• Cuts and wounds take longer to heal.
• Blurred eyesight
• Increased hunger.

These symptoms are more commonly experienced by people with type 1 diabetes, and can come on quickly. 6 out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes show no symptoms.

If you start to experience the symptoms, it is recommended you visit your GP for tests. The test to check for diabetes are simple blood tests and it is important for diabetes to be diagnosed, monitored and treated as early as possible to reduce the risk of diabetes complications.

Diabetes complications

Those with diabetes will need to monitor their blood sugar levels, known as your HbA1c, using blood tests. This is because having high levels of blood sugars over a long period of time can cause damage to the blood vessels and nerves, which reduce blood flow. This can then increase your risk of other health issues including heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with your eyes, kidneys, and feet.

Diabetic foot complications can be very serious if not appropriately managed, as a minor problem with your feet, such as a blister, can quickly turn into a serious diabetic foot ulcer which can in turn lead to the need for amputation. Patients with diabetes often have peripheral neuropathy, which means that they do not have normal feeling and sensation in the feet due to damage to the blood vessels and nerves. This means that they may not feel or notice a minor foot issue.

Another serious diabetes complication is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is caused by a severe lack of insulin. Your body instead starts to breaks down fat and this process releases harmful chemicals called ketones which build up and make your blood acidic. This complication can sometimes lead to the individual becoming seriously ill and may lead to a coma and even death.

Managing diabetes

Once you have received a diagnosis of diabetes, you need to ensure you are managing the symptoms to prevent / reducing the risk of any further illnesses mentioned above from occurring. Life with diabetes can be challenging due to the changes you will need to make to your everyday life.

Medication will be prescribed to those who require it. Anyone with type 1 diabetes will be prescribed insulin to help manage blood sugar levels as their bodies cannot produce insulin. Some but not all who have type 2 diabetes may received insulin to help manage their symptoms.

Metformin is the most common treatment for type 2 diabetes and reduced the amount of glucose that your liver releases to help your insulin work better. This medication can be used on its own to lower blood sugar levels, or it can be taken with insulin.

Diet is a major factor with ensuring your diabetes stays under control. More information on how to plan a healthy diet to manage diabetes can be found at: Eating with diabetes | Guide to diabetes | Diabetes UK

Exercise is known to be good for diabetes, anything from a walk to a run, stretches to weightlifting can help with the insulin in your body working better. It helps to keep blood sugar levels within the targeted range.

It is vitally important for those with diabetes to undergo regular health checks to ensure that their average blood sugar levels are being monitored and medication adjusted accordingly, as well as checking that everything is okay with your heart, kidneys, eyes and feet.

The number of people getting their checks has increased in the last few years, but more than 1 in 3 people still aren’t getting all the checks they need (National Diabetes Audit data, 2023-24, England and Wales). Sometimes this is due to the patient not engaging with the health checks but it is often caused by failures by medical professionals, such as not inviting patients, lack of appointments or long waiting times.

Such failures can have devastating consequences; as clinical negligence practitioners, we frequently encounter patients who have suffered injury to diabetes related matters, such as the need for avoidable limb amputations. If you or a loved one have experienced such issues, please contact our experienced team to discuss how we may be able to assist with investigating the care received.