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Diabetes

Leicester Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). Health and social care needs associated with diabetes, 2016.

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by prolonged, elevated levels of blood sugar, caused by insufficient production or use of insulin by the pancreas. Over time, elevated blood sugar causes severe and irreversible damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. There are 3 types of diabetes:

  • Type 1 diabetes (T1D) usually develops in childhood and adolescence and patients require lifelong insulin injections for survival.
  • Type 2 diabetes (T2D) - usually, but not exclusively, develops in adulthood and is related to obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet. This is the more common type of diabetes (representing 90% of diabetic cases worldwide) and treatment may involve lifestyle changes and weight loss alone, oral medications or even insulin injections.
  • Gestational diabetes - a state of hyperglycaemia which develops during pregnancy

The following chapter further details the level of need in the population, current services in place, project service use, any service gaps and recommendations for commissioners.