Diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030

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Dr Debbie Gordon, an Endocrinologist at The Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre says that education and an on-going awareness around how this disease works is an important step in managing it more effectively. "Pre-diabetes is one essential step in combating diabetes as more than 10% of the people with pre-diabetes become diabetic within three years. Up to a 58% reduction in the development of diabetes could be achieved if pre-diabetes was controlled effectively. This is according to a team of health experts speaking at a session held at Aga Khan University in Pakistan this week," explains Dr Gordon.

Pre-diabetes is an informal term given to people who either have an impaired fasting glucose, or an abnormal glucose tolerance test, but do not meet the criteria for diagnosing diabetes.

"It is at the stage of pre-diabetes that patients should be aware of the high risk of being diagnosed with full blown diabetes and should closely manage their blood sugar levels. Some of the clinical symptoms to watch out for include thirst, drinking a lot of water, urinating a lot, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, pins and needles of the feet and recurrent infections," says Dr Gordon.

There are four types of Diabetes, namely Type 1, Type 2, LADA (Type 1.5) and Mody.

• Type 1 - this is an autoimmune disease which means the body attacks its own pancreas and destroys it so that it can no longer produce insulin. This usually occurs in childhood or teenage years and can also occur in young adults.
  
• Type 2 - the main diagnosis initially is insulin resistance and leading causes include being overweight, a lack of exercise and a diet rich in carbohydrates. This usually runs in families, but is avoidable with the correct lifestyle.
  
• LADA (type 1.5) - this type of diabetes is the same as type 1 but the autoimmune process is sluggish and therefore young adults can suffer from diabetes anywhere from their 30s to 45 years of age.
  
• Mody - this is an autosomal dominant - a disorder that is passed genetically through families - form of diabetes due to a defect in insulin secretion.

Type 1 Diabetes is treated with insulin, regular exercise and a diabetic diet. Type 2 Diabetes is initially treated through a recommended weight loss strategy, a diabetic diet, and regular exercise. Should this treatment not work, oral medications are used.

"It is vital that people be screened for diabetes on a regular basis, especially if it is a prominent gene in the family. To manage the disease known as the 'silent killer', people need to monitor their eating patterns and partake in regular exercise," concludes Gordon.