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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Double Diabetes Increase in UK

January 21, 2009

Obesity is linked to the double diabetes increase in the UK, so did an article in New Scientist magazine warn. Doctors are seeing more and more diabetes cases with mixed symptoms. This makes it hard for them to diagnose the specific type of diabetes and to give the right treatment for the type of condition.

The Director of Care of Diabetes, UK, Simon O’Neill, said that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two different conditions. Some aspects may be similar but the treatment can be different. There are people who do not know the type of diabetes they have and this is harmful because they may not be getting the best care or treatment.

New researches are most welcome in fitting all the missing pieces together. What is most important now is to give the appropriate treatment for the diabetics in order for them to get help in avoiding the complications. All kinds of help in preventing the rise of this condition should be in place.

Then a year later there was a report on October 21, 2008 where a leading health charity Diabetes UK issued a warning that the number of those diagnosed with diabetes has risen by 167,000 when compared with last year's data. This brings the total of those afflicted with diabetes to a staggering 2.5 million people.

The increase is more than double for the period of the preceding year of 83,000. For the first time in England the statistics has broken the two million mark for the first time. This increase is 6.4% whereas the increase in Northern Ireland and Wales is 6.8%. The biggest increase is in Scotland which comes in as 16.9% due mainly to improved recording.

Approximately 90% of diabetics have type 2 which is linked to being overweight or obese, lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating. There are now five million people who are registered obese in the UK with Scotland again registering the biggest increase.

The chief executive of Diabetes UK, Douglas Smallwood finds the figures quite alarming. He did say though that the large increase is due to improved recording, screening procedures and the fact that people are more aware of the factors that make one at high risk to develop this condition. But the truth of the matter is, just like in the rest of the world, the increase is linked to obesity.

Clearly this is a big challenge in the UK as well as in the rest of the world. With diabetes causing heart disease, amputation, blindness, stroke and kidney failure, the health cost is astronomical. The only way to go about this is to raise awareness on the seriousness of diabetes and to have preventive measures in place like adopting a healthy lifestyle and where better to start than in schools so the children will be able to prevent obesity.

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