NHS Choices explains that the main symptoms of type 2 diabetes are:

• Urinating more often than usual, particularly at night
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very tired
• Unexplained weight loss
• Itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
• Cuts or wounds that heal slowly
• Blurred vision – caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry.

If diabetes is not treated, it can lead to a number of complications and other health problems, including heart disease, stroke and angina; nerve damage; ulceration of the feet; diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision loss and blindness; kidney disease; sexual dysfunction; miscarriage; and stillbirth. However, the condition can be successfully controlled and up to 58 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented through a healthy lifestyle.