Diabetes

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic. It is believed that by 2030 the number of people with the disease will exceed 520 million. Besides the great personal suffering, the disease entails major costs to society. Diabetes is not just one but several diseases, of which the most well-known are type 1, type 2, LADA and MODY. There are major differences between the different types of diabetes.

• In type 1 diabetes, which comprises around 10 per cent of cases, the body’s own immune system attacks the cells that produce the hormone insulin. When the body no longer has any insulin-producing cells left, insulin must be injected several times a day.
• Type 2 diabetes comprises around 90 per cent of cases and entails a reduced ability to respond to insulin. The causes of type 2 diabetes are partially hereditary and partially a result of poor diet and lack of exercise. The treatment is improved diet and exercise, sometimes in combination with medication.

Diabetes can lead to serious complications such as blindness, amputation, kidney problems and nerve damage.

Donate to our diabetes research at the LU "For a Better World" website 

Diabetes research at Lund University

The research on diabetes spans a wide area, and scientists at Lund University study everything from genetic factors and how they interact with environmental factors to disease mechanisms in the insulin-producing cells and surrounding tissue.

Lund University Diabetes Centre

Research takes place in various parts of Lund University, but the majority of the research groups are affiliated with Lund University Diabetes Centre.

Lund University Diabetes Centre website

Exodiab

Lund University and Uppsala University are responsible for the Swedish Government’s strategic research area for diabetes, Exodiab. The aim is to establish leading national expertise and to develop world-class research.

Exodiab website