Britons at risk of diabetes know little of disease
Key points
- Britons who have a high risk of developing diabetes know very little about the illness and are vulnerable to serious complications, health experts said on Wednesday.
- Less than a third of patients most likely to suffer from diabetes know that it can lead to heart disease and only a quarter are aware it is linked to stroke, according to a MORI survey.
- Diabetes is a serious condition and prevalence is increasing rapidly," said Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK.
- Ignorance about Type 2 diabetes means that many people have the illness for up to 10 years before it is diagnosed.
Britons who have a high risk of developing diabetes know very little about the illness and are vulnerable to serious complications, health experts said on Wednesday.
Less than a third of patients most likely to suffer from diabetes know that it can lead to heart disease and only a quarter are aware it is linked to stroke, according to a MORI survey.
"This low level of awareness is frightening. Diabetes is a serious condition and prevalence is increasing rapidly," said Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK.
Ignorance about Type 2 diabetes means that many people have the illness for up to 10 years before it is diagnosed. By the time it is picked up, half of patients show signs of complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and nerve disorders that can lead to foot ulceration and amputations.
Diabetes is a chronic illness caused by a deficiency or lack of insulin. The hormone produced by the pancreas helps glucose, or sugar, from food get into cells.
If a person does not produce enough insulin or if it isn't used properly by the body, glucose stays in the blood. People with Type 1 diabetes fail to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of the disease, is caused by an inability to make enough, or to properly use insulin.
About 1.8 million people in Britain suffer from diabetes and experts estimate there are one million more who do not know they have the disease. About 90 percent of sufferers have Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to being overweight or obese.
People who took part in the survey were classified as high risk if they had two or more risk factors, which include having a family history of the illness or a waist size of 35 inches (89 cm) for women and 40 inches (101 cm) for men.
Black and ethnic minorities aged 25 and over and whites 40 years and older who are overweight or have a family history of diabetes are also high-risk groups.
"If the government is to deliver on its public health promises, it has to commit itself and the National Health Service (NHS) to educating people," said Smallwood.
"People need to know the risks and what they can do about them," he added.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Diabetes & Hormones →
NewsInternational team unearths genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes in Latin American populations
In the largest study of its kind published to date, an international team of researchers in Mexico and the United States has discovered a strong genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes that primarily affects Latin…
11 June 2014
NewsElevated liver enzyme levels linked to higher gestational diabetes risk
Women with high levels of a common liver enzyme measured prior to pregnancy were twice as likely to subsequently develop gestational diabetes than those with the lowest levels, according to a Kaiser Permanente study…
3 May 2014
NewsToo much animal protein tied to higher diabetes risk
People who eat the most protein, especially from animal sources, are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a study of European adults. The new study did not randomly assign participants to eat…
