In type 1 diabetes, not enough insulin is produced because the cells in the pancreas that do this job have been attacked by the body’s immune system. This form of diabetes usually develops at a young age, with symptoms coming on quickly, but also swiftly responding to treatment once the condition is diagnosed. It accounts for less than 10 per cent of diabetes patients.

Type 2 diabetes stems from a combination of insulin resistance – the body not responding as it usually does to the hormone – and insulin deficiency. This form of diabetes has a slower onset than type 1 and tends to be diagnosed in older people. There are risk factors that increase the likelihood of someone developing type 2 diabetes. Some are innate, such as ethnicity and a family history of the condition, but many are related to lifestyle, including unhealthy eating habits and inactivity. Around 90 per cent of people with diabetes have the type 2 form.

Diabetes is one of the most common lifelong conditions in the UK. Some 4.7 million people in total are thought to have the condition, according to Diabetes UK, which is one in 15 people. This includes one million people who have type 2 diabetes but haven’t been diagnosed. 

Practice point

• No matter the form of diabetes, the presenting symptoms are much the same. Diabetes UK suggests remembering the “four Ts” to spot the symptoms of diabetes. Look on the charity's website to find out what these are.