People who develop type 2 diabetes are very likely to also have someone in their family with the condition. Type 2 diabetes (once known as adult-onset diabetes) affects 85 to 90% of all people with diabetes. Half the people with type 2 diabetes do not know they have the condition because they have no symptoms. As a result, the glucose begins to rise above normal levels in the blood. Type 2 diabetes develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the insulin that is made does not work as well as it should (also known as insulin resistance). The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) has a fact sheet on Diabetes type 1. Most people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes do not have family members with this condition. The body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas after the person gets a virus because it sees the cells as foreign. Its exact cause is not known but research shows that something in the environment can trigger it in a person that has a genetic risk. This condition is not caused by lifestyle factors. Type 1 diabetes often occurs in children and people under 30 years of age, but it can occur at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin for the rest of their lives. Type 1 diabetes is life-threatening if insulin is not replaced. Instead the glucose rises in the blood causing a person to become extremely unwell. Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells of the muscles for energy. Type 1 diabetes develops when the cells of the pancreas stop producing insulin.

The main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. An estimated 300 Australians develop diabetes every day.ĭiabetes is Australia's fastest-growing chronic condition. Over time, blood glucose levels above the normal range can damage your eyes, kidneys and nerves, and can also cause heart disease and stroke. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is a chronic and potentially life-threatening condition where the body loses its ability to produce insulin, or begins to produce or use insulin less efficiently, resulting in blood glucose levels that are too high ( hyperglycaemia).

Insulin durations