Healthcare professionals in all settings increasingly encounter people with diabetes. Suboptimal control of diabetes may have harmful effects on multiple systems in the body and can result in life-changing and life-threatening complications. Therefore, it is crucial that all healthcare professionals have an understanding of diabetes. This article considers the increase in people developing diabetes worldwide. It defines type I and type 2 diabetes and discusses the associated pathophysiologyand predisposing factors. The article outlines the basis forthe development of the typical signs and symptoms associated with high blood glucose levels. Current guidelines for diagnosing a person with diabetes are considered.
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