‘We are facing a diabetes disaster'
8:00pm Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in News By Katie Bond
A patient undergoing a blood test for diabetes
THE number of people with diabetes in Swindon is set to rise by 2,400 at the end of the decade, according to a charity, which warns the nation is heading for a health crisis over the disease.
Nationally, it says, the figure is set to rise by 700,000 by 2020, with a total of 4.4m people in England, Scotland and Wales projected to have the condition in the next eight years.
The analysis by charity Diabetes UK, based on data from the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory, shows it would be an increase of almost a fifth and the equivalent of adding almost the combined populations of Liverpool and Newcastle to the current total.
The majority of the extra 700,000 cases would be Type 2 diabetes, which can often be prevented by making healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight. Incidence of Type 1 diabetes, which is not linked to lifestyle, is also rising but scientists do not know why.
Diabetes UK has warned that the cost of providing healthcare for the extra 700,000 people would put great financial pressure on the NHS, which is already spending 10 per cent of its budget on treating the condition.
The charity is now calling for more resources to be put towards preventing Type 2 diabetes and wants the Government to fund a public health campaign to raise awareness of risk factors and of the seriousness of diabetes.
Graham Cooper, Diabetes UK South West regional manager, said: “The healthcare system is at breaking point in terms of its ability to provide care for people with diabetes and many people are developing health complications that could have been avoided and are dying early.
“Because of this, I have fears about the impact of an extra 700,000 people with diabetes. “We face the real prospect of the rise in the number of people with the condition combining with NHS budget pressures to create a perfect storm that threatens to bankrupt the NHS.
“But the Government and the NHS do not seem to have grasped the scale of the impending crisis. “The crucial point is that it is still not too late to take the action needed to avert it.
“We need a Government-funded campaign to raise awareness of risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. This will give proper support to those at high risk, and to highlight the the condition.
“That way people can understand why they should be doing everything they can to prevent it. We need to act now.”
In July, more than 100 people in Swindon were identified as at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes thanks to the Healthy Lifestyle Roadshow by Diabetes UK and Bupa.
Thes how aimed to identify some of the 1,900 people in the town who have Type 2 diabetes but are unaware. Visit www.diabetes.org.uk.
Comments(9)
PJC
says...
9:42am Thu 4 Oct 12
house on the hill wrote:This is why it's important to distinguish between type 1 & type 2. Type 1 isn't due to lifestyle. Often people just hear 'diabetes' and because of the media coverage, make assumptions.
"""The majority of the extra 700,000 cases would be Type 2 diabetes, which can often be prevented by making healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight.""""
Why is it as a society we seem to be becoming more stupid and irresponsible. Most type 2 cases are caused by lifestyle or in other words by making a conscious decision to live an unhealthy life and make yourself ill and shorten an already short life. The NHS is collapsong under the "weight" of those with self inflicted illnesses and injuries, so stop moaning about waiting lists and not being able to get to see a doctor for about a month. It is in many cases our own fault which then has an effect on everyone else.
And we wonder why the world is in the mess it is. In a word irresponsiblity on so many levels by so many people. Are people really happy to die before their time. Smoking, drinking and overeating are all triggers for diabetes. I thought we were supposed to be becoming more civilised not less. Sorry I have no symapthy with anyone with self inflicted problems, how can you expect others to be responsible when you are not prepared to be. Stop wasting taxpayers money on selfish idiots and spend it in those really in need through no fault of their own.
RichardR1
says...
11:03am Thu 4 Oct 12
The primary cause is Obesity, but it can be hereditary, and is more prevalent in certain ethnic groups.
house on the hill
says...
1:43pm Thu 4 Oct 12
RichardR1
says...
5:28pm Thu 4 Oct 12
Smoking is not mentioned in any of the literature I have seen. Although as I have said it undoubtedly causes other illnesses and is not a habit to take up.
semitonic
says...
8:10pm Thu 4 Oct 12
You are either going to get it or you aren't. Having a large midriff may accelerate insulin resistance but there is a consensus of opinion that says certain people are fat and lazy because they are diabetic, not diabetic as a result of being fat and lazy.
Plenty of very healthy people develop type 2 diabetes.
RichardR1
says...
9:33am Fri 5 Oct 12
Take a recent Panorama programme on alcohol unit pricing, they used data from the University of Sheffield who stated 50,000 over 60's could be saved each year if unit pricing was introduced.
Shock horror, as expected, the truth however was considerably different, the Uni it seems got their maths wrong, it would actually be no more than 11,500 and they couldn't state with any certainty it would even be that many.
Was this correction announced with as much gusto, of course not.
house on the hill
says...
1:45pm Fri 5 Oct 12
RichardR1
says...
10:02am Sat 6 Oct 12
Life style choices are exactly that. How far do you go this view, sports men and women, thrill seekers/dangerous sports. Sexually permissive etc etc.
There is not a person on this planet I doubt who has not made a wrong life style choice, well at least wrong in someone else's view.
As for life expectancy, take a look at the list, the top two countries on the list have some of the highest rates of smoking in the world, in fact I think China has the highest.
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/List_of_cou
ntries_by_life_expec
tancy
house on the hill says...
8:40pm Wed 3 Oct 12
Why is it as a society we seem to be becoming more stupid and irresponsible. Most type 2 cases are caused by lifestyle or in other words by making a conscious decision to live an unhealthy life and make yourself ill and shorten an already short life. The NHS is collapsong under the "weight" of those with self inflicted illnesses and injuries, so stop moaning about waiting lists and not being able to get to see a doctor for about a month. It is in many cases our own fault which then has an effect on everyone else.
And we wonder why the world is in the mess it is. In a word irresponsiblity on so many levels by so many people. Are people really happy to die before their time. Smoking, drinking and overeating are all triggers for diabetes. I thought we were supposed to be becoming more civilised not less. Sorry I have no symapthy with anyone with self inflicted problems, how can you expect others to be responsible when you are not prepared to be. Stop wasting taxpayers money on selfish idiots and spend it in those really in need through no fault of their own.