Survey Reveals Shortfalls in Diabetes Education
October 31, 2000 - 0:0
LONDON Diabetics are not being given enough information on how to manage their illness and avoid long-term and potentially fatal complications, medical experts said on Saturday.
A survey by the International Diabetes Foundation of 750 diabetics in five European countries showed that nearly half had never been advised to check their blood glucose levels and nearly one third admitted they often forgot to do so.
Diabetics do not metabolize glucose efficiently because of a deficiency or lack of insulin. It their blood sugar levels are too low they can go into a coma.
If the levels are too high it can cause blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney problems and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.
"It needs to be brought home to them more clearly to keep their blood glucose levels under control because it can reduce serious long-term complications," Bill Hartnett, of Diabetes UK, said in a telephone interview.
Diabetics should regularly test their blood glucose levels and consult their doctors if the levels are not in the optimum range, he said.
According to the survey, nearly a quarter of people with diabetes in Britain have heart disease, over a third have high blood pressure and one in four have sight problems.
"Education can save lives. People need to know more about effectively managing their diabetes and how it can reduce the risk of potential long-term effects such as blindness and heart disease," Paul Street, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said in a statement.
"The emphasis in diabetes care must be on prevention of complications rather than letting them develop and then treating them," he said.
An estimated 1.4 million people in Britain suffer from diabetes and about a million more have the condition but are not aware of it. Worldwide it affects up to 135 million people.
A European study has shown that it costs about 29 billion euros ($30 billion) each year, or up to 7.4 of the total healthcare spending in some countries to treat diabetics.
Most of the costs, which are equivalent to treating cancer patients, are caused by complications from diabetes.
People with Type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin. The condition can be controlled with injections but sufferers face a lifetime of treatment and up to four injections a day.
Type 2, or adult onset diabetes, is a milder form of the disease that can be treated with diet, exercise and drugs to stimulate the pancreatic secretion of insulin.
(Reuter)
A survey by the International Diabetes Foundation of 750 diabetics in five European countries showed that nearly half had never been advised to check their blood glucose levels and nearly one third admitted they often forgot to do so.
Diabetics do not metabolize glucose efficiently because of a deficiency or lack of insulin. It their blood sugar levels are too low they can go into a coma.
If the levels are too high it can cause blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney problems and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.
"It needs to be brought home to them more clearly to keep their blood glucose levels under control because it can reduce serious long-term complications," Bill Hartnett, of Diabetes UK, said in a telephone interview.
Diabetics should regularly test their blood glucose levels and consult their doctors if the levels are not in the optimum range, he said.
According to the survey, nearly a quarter of people with diabetes in Britain have heart disease, over a third have high blood pressure and one in four have sight problems.
"Education can save lives. People need to know more about effectively managing their diabetes and how it can reduce the risk of potential long-term effects such as blindness and heart disease," Paul Street, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said in a statement.
"The emphasis in diabetes care must be on prevention of complications rather than letting them develop and then treating them," he said.
An estimated 1.4 million people in Britain suffer from diabetes and about a million more have the condition but are not aware of it. Worldwide it affects up to 135 million people.
A European study has shown that it costs about 29 billion euros ($30 billion) each year, or up to 7.4 of the total healthcare spending in some countries to treat diabetics.
Most of the costs, which are equivalent to treating cancer patients, are caused by complications from diabetes.
People with Type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin. The condition can be controlled with injections but sufferers face a lifetime of treatment and up to four injections a day.
Type 2, or adult onset diabetes, is a milder form of the disease that can be treated with diet, exercise and drugs to stimulate the pancreatic secretion of insulin.
(Reuter)