Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition caused by too much glucose (sugar) in your blood. Your blood sugar level can be too high if your body does not make enough of the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) and moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it is broken down to produce energy. If diabetes is not treated it can cause long-term health problems because the high glucose levels in the blood damage the blood vessels.

There are two types of diabetes.
Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes: In type 1 diabetes, the body produces little or no insulin. Someone with this type of diabetes needs treatment for the rest of their life. They must check the levels of glucose in their blood regularly and watch out for complications. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, or early onset diabetes because it usually develops before the age of 40, often in the teenage years.
Type 2 or non-insulin dependent diabetes: In type 2 diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin, or cannot use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. This type of diabetes is usually linked with obesity. It is sometimes referred to as maturity onset diabetes because it occurs mostly in people over the age of 40.

SYMPTOMS: Without treatment, the main symptoms of diabetes are:
• feeling very thirsty,
• producing excessive amounts of urine (going to the toilet a lot), and
• tiredness, weight loss and muscle wasting (loss of muscle bulk).
Other symptoms can include:
• itchiness around the vagina or penis,
• getting thrush regularly, due to the excess sugar in your urine encouraging infections, and
• blurred vision, caused by the lens of your eye becoming very dry.

CAUSES
Diabetes is usually caused by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) not producing enough (or any) of the hormone insulin. Diabetes can also be caused by your body being unable to use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. In rare cases, diabetes can be caused by a disease of the pancreas called pancreatitis.