Spotlight On: Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder of sugar processing, which leads to an unhealthy blood sugar level.

High blood sugar levels cause the typical symptoms of excessive thirst and needing to urinate more often. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage vital organs, including the kidney and eyes.

Around 1.35 million Australians have diabetes.² This includes the three main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is where the body’s immune system attacks and damages the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. When this happens, the body can no longer produce insulin to regulate blood sugar. So lifelong insulin injections are required.
• Type 2 diabetes is where certain cells in the body become resistant to insulin. This means they stop taking up sugar from the blood. Risk factors include a family history of type 2 diabetes, poor diet, not enough physical activity and being obese.
• Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears once the baby is born. But a history of gestational diabetes can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Diabetes and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on people managing chronic conditions like diabetes.

For instance, at the beginning of the pandemic, there were significant concerns over the stockpiling of medicine. There were some short-term shortages in some pharmacies.

But more concerning was that some patients — including those with diabetes — deferred or skipped important testing.

In the last few months in Australia there has been a 40% drop in routine pathology testing. This means over 60,000 Australians are not getting the tests they need every day.

“It’s very concerning that some people have been avoiding important medical appointments,” says Dr Harry Nespolon, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

“The last thing we want is large numbers of health issues and worsening chronic conditions coming after this pandemic.”

He goes on to urge people to “take care of their health, keep up any regular appointments and tests, and see their GP for concerns.”

To speak with an InstantScripts GP:

For more Information on Diabetes visit:

• National Diabetes Services Scheme: www.ndss.com.au      
• Diabetes Australia: www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
• Diabetes NSW & ACT: diabetesnsw.com.au