Diabetes UK
www.diabetes.org.uk

Diabetes UK Cymru
www.diabetes.org.uk/wales

NHSChoices
www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/Pages/Introduction.aspx

BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/diabetes

Department of Health
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Diabetes/index.htm

World Health Organisation
www.who.int/diabetes/en

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2

Diabetes UK support groups
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/In_Your_Area

£1 from every copy sold will be donated to Diabetes UK Cymru

How do you know if you have diabetes?

The condition does not always 'present itself' very clearly, but symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include:

· A constant and excessive need to urinate
· Constant thirstiness
· Tiredness
· Itchiness, especially in the genital area, and recurrences of thrush
· Sudden weight change
· Blurring of the vision
· Cuts and wounds not healing quickly

If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, see your doctor.

What is also worrying is that a great many of us have what is known as ‘pre-diabetes’ – our bodies are moving towards having full blown diabetes but have yet to exhibit all the symptoms. Even your blood sugar levels can be elevated, but aren’t high enough to automatically mean a diagnosis. But anyone who has a health check and comes out with elevated readings should take this as a ‘warning shot across the bows’.

And that is particularly the case if you are overweight, eating to excess or badly, not taking regular exercise or have a family history of diabetes. Each of these can be a contributory factor, and the more ‘boxes’ you tick, the more care you need to take. There is a very handy section on the Diabetes UK website that allows you to feed in information, and then assesses your risk factors. Try it!