Independent Diabetes Trust Diabetes overview

The Independent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) was founded in 1994 as an independent charity, supporting people living with diabetes and their family and friends

• We aim to improve their lives by actively campaigning to ensure that everyone has an informed choice of treatments, we listen to their needs and do our utmost to offer help and support.  All our information booklets on every aspect of diabetes are FREE-OF-CHARGE – including Membership of IDDT – but we welcome donations to continue our valuable work helping people with diabetes
• Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects around 2.2 million people in the UK of whom 85 to 90% have Type 2 diabetes and 10 to 15% have Type 1 diabetes. In the UK there are about 20,000 children with Type 1 diabetes under the age of 15 years. The number of people with diabetes is increasing throughout the world with Type 2 diabetes reaching epidemic proportions

There are two forms of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes:

• This type accounts for 10 to 15% of the total number of people with diabetes in the UK. Also referred to as insulin dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes, Type 1 diabetes affects children and adults up to the age of about forty. The number of children diagnosed under the age of 5 is markedly increasing
• Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body’s immune system attacking the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. The body no longer produces insulin and glucose levels rise. Treatment with insulin injections is always required for survival. It is usually diagnosed as an acute condition
• Around 20,000 people are treated with animal insulin and the remainder with synthetic ‘human’ or analogue insulin
• There is no cure for Type 1 diabetes and cause has not been established. It is thought that there may be several causes with a genetic link in some people. Recent research shows that a common virus may trigger the body’s immune system to attack its own insulin producing pancreatic cells

Type 2 diabetes:

• This type of diabetes affects 85% to 90% of the total number of people with diabetes in the UK – over 2 million people and it is thought that there could be a further 1 million people undiagnosed. Type 2 is also referred to as non-insulin dependent diabetes and it occurs mainly in people over the age of 40 although with the rise in obesity, it is now occurring in children
• In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still often produces some insulin but either not enough or it not used properly by the various organs in the body (so there can be too much insulin in the system). Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet and exercise alone, oral blood glucose lowering drugs and if this still fails to reduce blood glucose levels sufficiently, then treatment with insulin is necessary. On average, people with Type 2 diabetes start to take insulin 7 years after diagnosisand can remain undiagnosed for several years during which time the blood glucose levels are too high, causing  and some of the complications of diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes are often diagnosed as a result of having complications rather than because they suspect they have diabetes
• There is a tendency for Type 2 diabetes to run in families but a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight or obese are also causes, so it is preventable for many people. The number of people affected by Type 2 diabetes is expected to double by the year 2010 due to the effects of lack of exercise, the increase in obesity and an ageing population

The Independent Diabetes Trust

By joining IDDT you will help to ensure that people with diabetes receive the care and treatment they deserve. We are an independent, international patient/carer organisation – probably one of the very few in the world and certainly in the world of diabetes. IDDT has a policy of not accepting funds from the pharmaceutical industry, so that we remain independent and uninfluenced by income sources. Our source of funding is entirely by voluntary donation and we are very grateful for this help

To become a Member, or to send us a donation, please contact us:

Telephone:  01604 622837

Email:  [email protected]