The number of people globally diagnosed with diabetes has doubled in the last 30 years. In Sweden, the figure is not as critical. About five percent of the population lives with the disease, and according to P4 Stockholm, there is believed to be a large unknown number.
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Not always detected in time
Diabetes type 2, which is by far the most common variant, is tricky in such a way that it is not always detected in time.
– Type 2 diabetes is a disease that you can go along with in silence for a long time because it is so sneaky that it does not cause symptoms until it is almost too late, I would say, says the diabetes nurse Annika Magnusson to P4 Stockholm.
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90 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes in Sweden have diabetes type 2. Photo: Erik Nylander/TT
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About 5 percent of Sweden’s population has diabetes, of which about 90 percent have diabetes type 2.
In type 2 diabetes, the ability to produce insulin is not completely gone, but the amount of insulin is not enough. This is mainly because:
The body cannot produce insulin in sufficient quantity when blood sugar rises after, for example, a meal.
The ability of the tissues themselves to utilize the insulin that is available is impaired, which means that a greater amount of insulin is needed to “open” the cell so that it can receive the sugar in the blood.
Overweight and obesity increase the risk of body cells losing their sensitivity to insulin.
In type 1 diabetes, the body’s own immune system has attacked the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin and destroyed them so that they can no longer produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin for life.
Type 1 diabetes usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but adults can also get the disease.
Source: 1177, Swedish Diabetes Association
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How you can prevent diabetes – three tips
According to Annika Magnusson, lifestyle can be decisive for the risk of developing diabetes.
– You can live according to the rule book, but not all of us do, of course, she says P4 Stockholm and shares three tips on how you can prevent getting sick.
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Four symptoms that indicate type 2 diabetes
As the insidious disease that type 2 diabetes is, it can be difficult to identify the warning signs. The symptoms you should pay extra attention to are:
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