The Diver Medic

Diving and Diabetes

Origin of the term ‘diabetes’
The term diabetes is the shortened version of the full name diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is derived from the Greek word diabetes meaning siphon - to pass through and the Latin word mellitus meaning honeyed or sweet. This is because in diabetes excess sugar is found in blood as well as the urine. It was known in the 17th century as the “pissing evil”.

The International Diabetes Federation reports that more than 400 million people were living with diabetes as of 2015. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 90 percent of people around the world who have diabetes have type 2.
In 2012, diabetes caused an estimated 1.5 million deaths. More than eight of every 10 of them occurred in low- and middle-income countries. In developing nations, more than half of all diabetes cases go undiagnosed. WHO anticipates that worldwide deaths from diabetes will double by 2030.

Diving and Diabetes looks at the fundamental elements of diabetes and what our limitations are in diving both for Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.