Diabetes

What is Diabetes?

 

Diabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose (blood Sugar) is too high, this is caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin which is used to help glucose enter the body’s cells.

 

Glucose is used by the body as fuel to keep you going and it comes from the food we eat as well as being produced in the liver, if the body does not produce enough insulin the glucose can not be used properly as fuel and builds up in the blood.

 

Diabetes can in some cases lead on to other conditions such as Angina or Heart Attack, Liver Damage or Retinal Damage (Retinopathy).

Types of Diabetes

 

There are three main types of Diabetes.

 

Diabetes Type 1 is usually diagnosed in childhood or early adults and is caused by the body’s immune system attacking beta cells in the pancreas which produces insulin. This means the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin for the body. If a person has this type of Diabetes they would need to take insulin on a daily basis.

 

Diabetes Type 2 is the most common form of Diabetes and can be developed at any age and be linked to having a poor diet, obesity or a family history of the condition. When this is diagnosed the pancreas usually is producing enough insulin but due to another condition (Insulin resistance) the body does not use the insulin effectively. In some cases the pancreas will eventually not be able to keep up with the insulin production and will lead on to the same symptoms of type 1 Diabetes.

 

Gestational Diabetes develops during pregnancy and usually goes away once the child is born, if a woman has had Gestational Diabetes she is more likely to develop Diabetes type 2 later in life.

Diabetes impact on Travel Insurance

 

There are a number of complications which can be related to Diabetes for example Heart Disease, Stroke or Kidney Disease. When purchasing Travel Insurance it is always advised to declare any pre existing medical condition including Diabetes, If you don’t then not only is the condition itself excluded but also anything related to the condition would not be covered.

 

If you would like a Travel Insurance quote for Diabetes click here; Diabetes Travel Insurance

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