The number of undiagnosed cases of diabetes represents a health epidemic, according to Diabetes UK. The charity estimates that there are a total of 850,000 cases of unrecognised Type 2 Diabetes in the UK, meaning that one in seventy-four people are living with all the wellbeing complications the condition brings. That’s equivalent to one passenger per double-decker bus – a level of risk quite frankly unacceptable for any responsible healthcare system.
Sufferers of Type 2 Diabetes risk health complications that the charity say could be “devastating”. Type 2 Diabetes carries a host of wellness risks, including amputation, blindness, kidney failure and stroke when the condition is left untreated. Early diagnosis is vital for sufferers to get the necessary health advice to make the lifestyle changes they need.
Diabetes Week is due to start in the UK, and never before has there been a greater need to raise public awareness. Diabetes UK are working with the health insurance provider Bupa to run public roadshows highlighting the issue. Their promotional tactics include an attempt to break the world record for the number of waistlines measured in a day. The record attempt serves to highlight the importance of weight and waistline as a diabetes risk factor. Weight and physical activity are one of the main targets in diabetes treatment, for which diet and exercise are key elements.
Other risk factors for diabetes include age, family history and black or South Asian descent. It is vital that anyone affected by these factors keeps the possibility of diabetes in mind and opts for screening at their local GP surgery. The danger of diabetes should serve to remind us all of the importance of healthy diet and lifestyle in maintaining all-round wellbeing and preventing the onset of many types of disease.
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