Diabetes Awareness Week

Monday 11th June to Sunday 17th June 2018 marks Diabetes Week. It’s an opportunity for sufferers to discuss the impact it has on their lives, and to encourage at-risk people to get tested for it.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition in which the levels of glucose in the blood are too high, usually due to a lack of insulin, a hormone produced by our pancreas that regulates blood-sugar levels.

Type 1 or Type 2

Diabetes comes in two main types – Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is caused when your body is incapable of creating insulin at all. 

Type 2 diabetes is when your body’s insulin is ineffective, or you are unable to produce sufficient quantities.

In either case, the result is that glucose starts to build up in your blood, causing several symptoms like incredible thirst, constant need to urinate and general lethargy. These can then lead to serious complications like damage to your kidneys, feet and eyes.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes (or borderline diabetes) is when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not so high as to class as diabetes. It is estimated that 35.3% of the adult population have some measure of prediabetes, which runs the risk of becoming full Type 2 diabetes if left unchecked and untreated.

Diabetes monitoring and detection

At Four Square, we stock an extensive range of products for the monitoring and detection of diabetes. These include urine test strips available in a number of formats and quantities.

We also stock dopplers, to assist in the assessment of diabetic vascular complications. These are available in 8Mhz, 2 Mhz and 5 Mhz probe models.

With visceral fat being linked as a potential risk factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes, we also have body composition scales available to monitor this.

Remember, all NHS funded GP surgeries, hospitals and trusts automatically qualify for a 30-day credit account with Four Square, so visit the site today and stock up on the essentials for Diabetes Awareness Week.