Media Home / Diabetes / Understanding diabetes Diabetes Our products Understanding diabetes Changing Diabetes® through education DAWN2™ TALK Hypos Yvonne Peach, Executive Diabetes Care Specialist with dad Eddie Understanding diabetes Diabetes is a common long-term condition that causes the amount of glucose in a person’s blood (known as the blood sugar level) to become too high. This is because the pancreas does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which moves glucose from the blood into the body’s cells, where it is broken down to produce energy. Glucose comes from digesting the carbohydrate in starchy foods such as bread, potatoes and chapatis, fruit, some dairy products, sugar and other sweet foods. There are two main types of diabetes. In type 1 (also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or early-onset diabetes), the body’s immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes therefore need insulin injections for the rest of their lives. About 10% of all people with diabetes have type 1. Type 2 (also known as obesity-related or maturity-onset diabetes) is where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can sometimes be controlled by exercise and eating a healthy diet and monitoring blood glucose levels, but if the condition gets worse over time, it may need to be managed by medication. Diabetes in the UK There are currently about 3 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK, and a further 850,000 have the condition without realising it. The number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 5 million by 2025. When diabetes is not well managed, it can be associated with serious complications including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations. Around one in five hospital admissions in the UK for heart disease, foot and renal problems are due to diabetes complications. The total cost of diabetes was estimated to be £23.7 billion in the UK in 2010/2011. This page is intended for members of the UK public UK/WB/0713/0013(2) September 2014 TALK Hypos TALK Hypos is an awareness campaign supported by Novo Nordisk and Diabetes UK to encourage people with diabetes to recognise and discuss symptoms of hypoglycaemia read more Hypos: Their Symptoms and Causes For information on Hypos, their symptoms and causes read more Why TALK Hypos? For information on why you should talk about hypos read more How to Treat a Hypo For information on steps that can be taken to help manage hypos read more At Novo Nordisk we pride ourselves on developing new and innovative ways to support healthcare professionals and people with diabetes. Read more Accessibility Novo Nordisk UK Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within haemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Other NN websites novonordiskfoundation.co.uk An independent charitable organisation supporting diabetes research. changingdiabetesresearch.co.uk Novo Nordisk Volunteer Outreach Programme - putting researchers in touch with people who are interested in taking part in research. novonordiskpro.co.uk Novo Nordisk Pro UK is an online service which provides a range of Novo Nordisk product information, clinical reprints, patient support materials and other resources for healthcare professionals working in diabetes. novonordisk-trials.com This website contains information about all Novo Nordisk sponsored clinical trials. ® 2013 Novo Nordisk Ltd Disclaimer / Cookie policy