World Diabetes Day 2016

The 14th of November is a day when millions of people from around the world join together and raise awareness of diabetes, and the effect it has on people’s lives.

The focus for this year’s awareness day is the complications that can come about as a result of diabetes. These are wide-ranging and can be extremely serious. Diabetes, when not properly managed, leads to 65 premature deaths in the UK every day. It can lead to amputations, blindness, kidney disease and many other issues. There are 1400 cases of heart failure every week as a result of diabetes as well as 540 strokes.

Diabetes, though life-altering, doesn’t have to be life-ending when properly managed. Knowing the signs of diabetes and being diagnosed in good time is vital to minimise the risk of early complication while staying on top of the condition and managing it can ensure that people with diabetes continue to live full, active and healthy lives.

The rate of people suffering from diabetes has risen exponentially in recent years. Since 1996 the number in the UK has risen from 1.4 million to 2.9 million. However, there is still very little understanding of the condition among the public. Knowing the symptoms can help you get an early diagnosis. Knowing the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is vital to communicating with your friends and family who may be effected.

Perhaps most importantly, knowing how to spot the signs of hypoglycaemia, or a “hypo”, (when someone’s blood sugar is too low) and knowing how to treat it, could save your friend or relative in an emergency.

As a practising GP and as Chair of the National Assembly for Wales’ Health and Social Care Committee, I am delighted to support World Diabetes Day and hope that many others will share as much information as they can in order to raise awareness.

For more information on diabetes, go to diabetes.org.uk and if you think you may have the symptoms of diabetes yourself, don’t hesitate. Go and see your GP. Diabetes doesn’t have to change the way you live your life, but it certainly won’t go away if it is ignored and leaving it undiagnosed and untreated can be extremely dangerous.