Diabetes death rate could be reduced by as much as 50%

A few easy to follow rules could help reduce the UK’s death rate from diabetes. The key advice is for patients to learn how to look after themselves and to ensure they receive on-going basic health checks. However, it is believed that many of these early deaths could be avoided if the diabetes sufferers got regular NHS check-ups, ate healthily, reduced their alcohol intake and carried out more exercise. They also need to better understand the importance of their medication and how best to take it. The charity Diabetes UK echoed the need for sufferers to follow a healthy diet – rich in fruit and vegetables, but low in sugar, salt and fat – and to keep fit by regular exercise. Diabetes can lead to kidney failure and strokes or other complications that sadly lead to limb amputations and blindness. Type 2 diabetes affects somewhere in the region of 2.5 million people in the UK and unhealthy lifestyles are set to send the numbers soaring. Type 2 differs from Type 1 diabetes – which usually develops before the age of 40 and requires sufferers to take insulin injections – in that it can be prevented. It is thought that up to 1 million people may already have Type 2 without even knowing it. There are 9 NHS checks recommended by NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). For more information on this, please click on: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/NSF/Pages/Diabetes.aspx http://guidance.nice.org.uk/QS6 These include: Those involve blood sugar control, cholesterol, blood pressure, measurements of weight, smoking status, eye and foot examinations for possible diabetic complications, and analysis of blood glucose and urine. Up to 75,000 diabetics die in England each year – which accounts for upto 15% of all deaths. However, it is believed that as many as 24,000 of these deaths are considered to be preventable. With 75% of these unnecessary deaths amongst those who are over 65. Earlier this year the National Diabetes Audit found almost 450,000 children and younger adults with diabetes have high-risk blood sugar levels that could lead to severe complications. For more information on the National Diabetes Audit, please click on: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/diabetesaudits Diabetes UK recommends a healthy, balanced diet and 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week.