Diabetes is a metabolic disease which affects the production of insulin in both women and men. Insulin is a hormone produced naturally within the pancreas and controls blood sugar levels by moving sugar from the blood into your cells to be stored or used as an immediate energy source.
Without appropriate treatment, too much sugar in the blood can damage the nervous system, eyes, kidneys and other organs.
Heart failure occurs when the heart’s muscles are too weak or stiff to pump blood around the body. It can affect men and women at any age.
Heart failure can be brought on by a combination of factors including large amounts of fat blocking the arteries, known as coronary heart disease, abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias, hypertension, disease of the heart valves (valvular disease) or heart muscles (cardiomyopathy).
Hypertension is also called high blood pressure. It is a relatively common condition with 30% of people in the UK living with it, often without knowing.
Symptoms often go unnoticed, so it is only detected with blood pressure checks.