TEHRAN – The national diabetes week will run from November 11 to 17 focusing on the prevention of diabetes and diabetes-related complications.

The final year of the World Diabetes Day 2021-23 theme is ‘Access to Diabetes Care’, and this year’s specific theme is ‘Know your risk, Know your response,” IRIB reported.

World Diabetes Day is a global awareness day held on November 14 each year. It became an official United Nations Day in 2006.

November 14 was chosen as it's the birthday of Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin. 

The Diabetes Day highlights the need for equitable access to essential care, including raising awareness of ways people with diabetes can minimize their risk of complications.

Activities will also celebrate the experiences of people with all forms of diabetes to help those impacted to take action, including seeking and obtaining essential care.

According to an official with Health Ministry, each day of the National Diabetes Week 2023 has been assigned a specific theme:

Saturday, November 11: “Pre-diabetes.”

Sunday, November 12: “Diabetes and the role of the media.”

Monday, November 13: “Diabetes, Education, Public contribution, and NGOs.”

Tuesday, November 14, World Diabetes Day, "Diabetes; Know your risks, Know your answer"

Wednesday, November 15: “Diabetes, Improving access to treatment.”

Thursday, November 16: “Diabetes, Healthy lifestyle with healthy nutrition.”

Friday, November 17: Diabetes, Healthy lifestyle with physical activity.”

Diabetes prevalence

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71 percent of all deaths globally.

Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases are the cause of more than 80 percent of premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases. An unhealthy diet, smoking, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption are the main related risk factors.

According to global estimates, the number of diabetics in West Asia and North Africa region will increase by 96 percent over the next 25 years.

In recent decades, the prevalence of diabetes and the number of deaths due to diabetes in the world has increased dramatically, and this increase has been much greater for type 2 diabetes.

About 500 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.6 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year.

In Iran, diabetics make up about 11.5 percent of the population.

About 6 million people of Iran's diabetic population are aware and the other half are unaware of their diabetes. The figure is 50 percent in the world and 60 percent in West Asia and North Africa region.

Both the number of cases and the prevalence of diabetes have been steadily increasing over the past few decades. It is expected that by 2030, 578 million people will develop diabetes, and the number of patients may exceed 700 million by 2045.

In 2019, 4.2 million people died of diabetes. And now, 50 percent of coronavirus patients are diabetic.

MT/MG