Lisa Boulton

By Lisa Boulton lisaboulton

Since 1996 the number of people with diabetes in the UK has doubled from 1.4million to 2.9million. By 2025 it’s estimated that this will increase to 5million. It’s also thought that there are around 850,000 undiagnosed diabetics in the UK alone.

So what is diabetes? It is a long-term condition that causes excess glucose (sugar) to be in the blood. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, which is then used for energy. A hormone made in the pancreas called insulin is responsible for utilising glucose and getting it into the cells of our body. To illustrate: If we are a car and petrol is the glucose, insulin is the petrol pump, so without insulin our body cells will not receive the fuel they need and there will be a build-up of glucose in our blood.

When there is excess glucose in the bloodstream, the body will respond to remove it, so a person will become thirsty, drink more and urinate more. Some of the other symptoms of diabetes are tiredness, hunger and weight loss.

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is where no insulin is produced by the body and type 2 is where the body does not produce enough insulin for normal glucose levels or the body cannot effectively use the insulin that is being produced.

Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 and around 10% of people with diabetes have this type. It is also known as insulin-dependent, juvenile or early-onset diabetes because it usually develops before the age of 40, often during teenage years. Type 1 diabetics need regular insulin injections to manage their diabetes.

Type 2 occurs over the age of 40, although this is not a hard and fast rule since younger people can be affected. Depending on the severity of the disease it is managed by diet, medication and/or insulin injections.

There are many complications associated with diabetes such as cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and lower limb amputations to name just a few.

These risks can be lowered by closely controlling blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. Having a healthy diet, regular exercise and not smoking is important too. This is also true for lowering the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes in the first place.

For more information on diabetes see websites diabetes.co.uk or diabetes.org.uk to take your own personal risk test.

Lisa Boulton is the Medical Director of Amethyst Health Screening, a local company which carries out health checks and cardiovascular risk assessments for Lincoln residents and local businesses. She contributes on health-related topics for The Lincolnite.

By Lisa Boulton lisaboulton

Did you know that one in three women die of cardiovascular disease (all the diseases of the heart and circulation)and the same amount of men die from it too? Also, coronary heart disease kills three times more women than breast cancer; nearly 40,000 women a year die of CHD, 430,000 women in the UK are living with heart failure, and more than half a million women have had a stroke.

These figures may be surprising because for some reason we are conditioned to think that heart disease affects more men than women, so some women may not realise that heart disease can happen to them. They may be less aware of the risk factors, less likely to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack and slower to ring 999 if they have a heart attack. Actually, nearly half a million women in the UK have had a heart attack.

It’s really important to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack and act swiftly. Symptoms vary from person to person and you may not have all of these symptoms:

• Mild or severe chest pain or discomfort which may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back
• Dull ache or ‘heavy feeling’ in your chest (some describe it as having an elephant sat on their chest), tightness or squeezing sensation
• Chest pain or discomfort similar to indigestion but makes you feel generally unwell
• Or even no chest pain at all (for some women, older people and those with diabetes)
• An overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
• Coughing or wheezing
• Feeling sick or being sick, sweaty, breathless, lightheaded, dizzy, feeling generally unwell, extreme fatigue

The British Heart Foundation recommends if you think you are having a heart attack, phone 999 immediately. You should then sit and rest while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.

If you are not allergic to aspirin and have some next to you, or if there is someone with you who can fetch them for you, chew an aspirin. However, if they are not nearby, the person with you should not go hunting for aspirin, they should stay with you. Do not get up and wander around the house looking for an aspirin. This may put unnecessary strain on your heart.

Prevention is better than cure though, so if you have any risk factors it is important they are addressed now to lower your risk of heart disease later!

Lisa Boulton is the Medical Director of Amethyst Health Screening, a local company which carries out health checks and cardiovascular risk assessments for Lincoln residents and local businesses. She contributes on health-related topics for The Lincolnite.