Diabetes
Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
Diabetes is one of the most common long-term conditions in the UK, and with the right care it can be managed well. Our licensed UK clinicians can assess your symptoms, arrange blood tests, and start or adjust treatment — all from your phone or computer.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition where the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood becomes too high. This happens because the body either cannot make enough insulin, cannot use insulin properly, or both. Insulin is the hormone that allows glucose to move from the blood into the body's cells to be used for energy.
There are two main types. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body stops producing insulin altogether and requires lifelong insulin treatment. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for around 90% of cases, develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or does not make enough, and is strongly linked to weight, age and lifestyle.
More than 4 million people in the UK live with diabetes. Left untreated, persistently high blood sugar can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves — but good control through lifestyle changes, medication and monitoring greatly reduces these risks.
Symptoms of Diabetes
Symptoms can develop quickly in type 1 diabetes but come on slowly in type 2 — sometimes over years. Many people have no obvious symptoms at first, which is why screening matters if you have risk factors.
- Feeling very thirsty (excessive thirst)
- Passing urine more often than usual, especially at night
- Feeling unusually tired or low on energy
- Losing weight without trying
- Blurred vision
- Cuts, wounds or sores that heal slowly
- Recurrent infections such as thrush or urinary infections
- Tingling, pain or numbness in the hands or feet
- Very high blood sugar with vomiting and tummy (abdominal) pain
- Rapid, deep breathing or breath that smells fruity (a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis)
- Severe dehydration, drowsiness or confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Signs of a hypo (low blood sugar): shaking, sweating, confusion or slurred speech
Very high blood sugar with vomiting, tummy pain, rapid breathing or fruity-smelling breath can signal diabetic ketoacidosis — a medical emergency. Seek urgent help. Equally, a severe hypo with confusion or loss of consciousness needs immediate attention.
What Causes Diabetes?
The cause depends on the type of diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition, while type 2 develops from a combination of insulin resistance, genetics and lifestyle factors. Often several factors act together.
In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells stop responding properly to insulin, the hormone that moves sugar from the blood into cells for energy. The pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, but over time it cannot keep up and blood sugar rises.
As diabetes progresses, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas gradually become less effective and produce less insulin. This leads to persistently raised blood glucose levels that require treatment.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The body can no longer make insulin, so lifelong insulin treatment is required. This usually develops in childhood or early adulthood.
Having a parent or sibling with diabetes significantly increases your own risk. Certain genes affect how the body produces and responds to insulin, which is why diabetes often runs in families.
Carrying extra weight, particularly around the abdomen, is the single biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat releases substances that increase insulin resistance and disrupt blood sugar control.
A sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance. Regular activity helps muscles use glucose and improves insulin sensitivity.
Key Risk Factors
How Is Diabetes Diagnosed?
Diabetes is diagnosed with simple blood tests that measure your blood sugar. Your clinician may use one or more of the following, and will often repeat a test to confirm the diagnosis.
Treating Diabetes
Treatment aims to keep blood sugar within a healthy range and reduce the risk of complications. Type 1 always requires insulin. Type 2 is usually managed with lifestyle changes first, then tablets and, if needed, injectable medicines or insulin.
Supportive Measures
Alongside medication, lifestyle changes make a major difference. A balanced diet, regular exercise, weight management, stopping smoking and limiting alcohol all improve blood sugar control. Regular monitoring of blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, eyes and feet helps prevent complications.
If Your Blood Sugar Is Hard to Control
If your blood sugar remains high despite treatment, your medication may need adjusting or additional medicines added. Rising readings can also reflect changes in weight, diet, stress or other illness. A review with a clinician is recommended rather than simply continuing the same treatment.
When Should You See a Clinician?
Call 999 or go to A&E if you have signs of diabetic ketoacidosis (vomiting, tummy pain, rapid breathing, fruity-smelling breath, drowsiness) or a severe hypo with confusion, seizures or loss of consciousness.
Arrange a same-day consultation if you have excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss or persistent fatigue, or if your home blood sugar readings are consistently high. New or rapidly worsening symptoms should be assessed promptly.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes cannot currently be prevented, but the risk of type 2 diabetes can be significantly reduced — and prediabetes often reversed — through healthy lifestyle choices.
Losing even 5–10% of your body weight if you are overweight can dramatically lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and improve blood sugar control.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. Exercise helps your muscles use glucose and improves how your body responds to insulin.
Choose plenty of vegetables, wholegrains, lean protein and healthy fats. A Mediterranean-style diet is particularly good for blood sugar control.
Cut back on sugary drinks, sweets and white bread or rice. These cause sharp spikes in blood sugar and contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance.
Smoking raises your risk of type 2 diabetes and worsens its complications. Stopping smoking improves circulation and overall metabolic health.
Regular blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checks help catch prediabetes early, when lifestyle changes can prevent it from progressing to diabetes.
Getting Treatment for Diabetes
A licensed UK clinician can review your symptoms, arrange blood tests such as HbA1c, and prescribe or adjust diabetes medication in a confidential online consultation. Ongoing monitoring and annual reviews can also be managed remotely — no waiting rooms, no delays.
Expert clinical advice, when you need it.
Diabetes FAQs
Type 2 diabetes can often be put into remission, particularly in the early years after diagnosis. Significant weight loss through diet and lifestyle changes can return blood sugar to a healthy range without medication. Remission is more likely the sooner it is attempted after diagnosis, and ongoing healthy habits are needed to maintain it.
In type 1 diabetes the body's immune system destroys the cells that make insulin, so insulin treatment is needed for life. It usually starts in childhood or early adulthood. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or does not make enough, and is strongly linked to weight and lifestyle. It is far more common and often managed with lifestyle changes and tablets.
An HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6.0%) is considered normal. A level of 42–47 mmol/mol (6.0–6.4%) indicates prediabetes, and 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) or above suggests diabetes. Your clinician will interpret your result alongside your symptoms and other tests.
Genetics play a significant role, especially in type 2 diabetes. Having a parent or sibling with diabetes increases your risk. However, lifestyle factors such as weight, diet and activity strongly influence whether type 2 diabetes actually develops, so risk can often be reduced.
Some people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood sugar through diet, weight loss and exercise alone, particularly early on. However, many will eventually need medication as the condition progresses. Type 1 diabetes always requires insulin. Never stop prescribed medication without speaking to your clinician.
Persistently high blood sugar damages blood vessels and nerves over time. Untreated diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, sight loss, nerve damage and foot problems that may result in amputation. Good blood sugar control greatly reduces these risks.
Yes. A licensed UK clinician can review your symptoms and test results, arrange blood tests such as HbA1c, and prescribe or adjust diabetes medication through a confidential online consultation. Ongoing monitoring and reviews can also be carried out remotely.
If your blood sugar is very high and you feel unwell — with vomiting, tummy pain, rapid breathing, drowsiness or fruity-smelling breath — seek urgent medical help, as this may be diabetic ketoacidosis. For high readings without these warning signs, contact your clinician for advice on adjusting your treatment.