Travel Insurance For Diabetes Sufferers

Travel insurance for Diabetes sufferers can be arranged by World First who are international travel insurance specialists. World First offer cheap holiday insurance for Diabetes suffererers and annual travel insurance for UK residents with medical conditions who find it difficult to buy travel insurance with cover for Diabetes and associated medical problems elsewhere. For more information about travel insurance for Diabetes sufferers and a quote for your holiday insurance call World First for FREE on 0800 096 46 02.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition caused by too much glucose (sugar) in your blood. Your blood sugar level can be too high if your body does not make enough of the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) and moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it is broken down to produce energy.
If diabetes is not treated it can cause long-term health problems because the high glucose levels in the blood damage the blood vessels.

There are two types of diabetes.

Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, the body produces little or no insulin. Someone with this type of diabetes needs treatment for the rest of their life. They must check the levels of glucose in their blood regularly and watch out for complications. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, or early onset diabetes because it usually develops before the age of 40, often in the teenage years.

Type 2 or non-insulin dependent diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin, or cannot use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. This type of diabetes is usually linked with obesity. It is sometimes referred to as maturity onset diabetes because it occurs mostly in people over the age of 40.

Diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes)

Some pregnant women have such high levels of glucose in their blood that their body cannot produce enough insulin to absorb it all. This is known as gestational diabetes. It is quite rare affecting less than 1 in 20 pregnant women. Gestational diabetes usually disappears after the baby is born. However, women who develop gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Diabetes affects 2 million people in the UK and there may be as many as a million more people who have the condition but do not know about it. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased if it runs in your family. Nine out of ten people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes and over 80% of these people are overweight However, symptoms can develop slowly over time, or not at all. Routine screenings are the most effective way to diagnose the condition.

Without treatment, the main symptoms of diabetes are:

1. feeling very thirsty
2. producing excessive amounts of urine (going to the toilet a lot)
3. tiredness
4. weight loss
5. muscle wasting (loss of muscle bulk).

Other symptoms can include:

itchiness around the vagina or penis, getting thrush regularly, due to the excess sugar in your urine encouraging infections, and blurred vision, caused by the lens of your eye becoming very dry. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can develop quickly, usually over days or weeks.

If your blood glucose levels become too high, you can suffer a hyperglycaemic attack (excess of sugar and dehydration leading to weakness and possible convulsion). This can happen if you have not taken your insulin. The symptoms of a hyperglycaemic attack include dehydration, drowsiness and a frequent need to urinate. If left untreated, hyperglycaemia can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can eventually cause unconsciousness and even death. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when your body begins to break down fats for energy instead of glucose, leading to a build up of ketone acids in your blood (see Selected links for more details).

If your glucose levels become too low you can suffer a hypoglycaemic attack (hypo). This can happen if you have taken too much insulin. Symptoms of a hypo include feeling shaky and irritable and can be brought under control by eating or drinking something sugary, such as a fizzy drink, sugar cubes or raisins, which should stop the attack. After having something sugary, you should then eat a longer-acting carbohydrate food such as a few biscuits or a sandwich.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes usually develop over weeks or months. Some people with type 2 diabetes have few symptoms or even no symptoms at all. However, they still need to have treatment so that other health problems, such as kidney disease, do not develop later on.

Source:
NHS Direct Online. © Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen’s Printer for Scotland.