Did you know that there are an estimated 1 million undiagnosed diabetics in the UK and that diabetes is the single most common cause of blindness and lower leg and foot amputations? Diabetes also raises the risk of heart disease and is the 5th most common cause of death in developing countries.

Having diabetes means that your body is not producing enough of the regulating hormone insulin. As a result glucose accumulates in the blood and tissues and can cause defects in various parts of the body.

Up to 4.5% of the NHS budget is spent on treating the complications (heart disease blindness kidney failure strokes) that can begin developing before diagnosis.

Symptoms may include any or all of the following: yiredness, irritability, weight loss, feeling constantly thirsty and passing water more often increased susceptibility to infection and poor healing.

If you feel you may be at risk of diabetes this simple home test may be advisable.

This screening test relies upon detection the presence of urine glucose (sugar) in freshly voided urine. It is possible that it may not be 100% accurate in every case. Occasionally the test may produce a false positive or a false negative result. As with all screening tests therapeutic decisions should not be based on any single result or method. In the case of unexpected results or symptoms consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

If any symptoms you do have persist you should consult your GP as they may indicate the presence of another disorder.

Take the test

This simple urine test is very accurate. It detects glucose (sugar) in urine. The test gives a simple positive or negative answer. Glucose in urine can be an early sign of diabetes. If the disease is detected early, before symptoms are noticed, treatment is more successful.