Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 14 Nov 2010 - 1:00 PST window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }());
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For World Diabetes Day Today (14 November) Olympic rower and Diabetes UK Honorary Vice President Sir Steve Redgrave CBE is urging people across the UK to go online and take the leading health charity's free Risk Score test to find out whether they could be one of the estimated one million people in the UK who are unaware they have Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes[1] can go undetected for up to ten years and around half of people already show signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed. Early diagnosis and effective management of the condition are crucial in reducing the risk of developing life-changing complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.
Sir Steve said: "The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than 150,000 to 2.8 million in the past year and shocking new estimates suggest there are further one million people who have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
"I discovered I had Type 2 diabetes at the height of my rowing career and know firsthand how the condition can dramatically change your life. But once diagnosed and under control, diabetes should never stop you from achieving anything you want - my gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games is proof of that.
"For World Diabetes Day this year I'm asking people to go online and take Diabetes UK's free Risk Score test to find out about their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. If you find you are at increased risk it's vital you go to your GP for a full blood test. People at increased risk of the condition can often decrease or even reverse their risk by losing weight, increasing their physical activity levels and improving their diet. Take the test - it could be the best thing you ever do for your health."
The main risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes are being overweight or having a large waist, being over 40 (or over 25 in Black and South Asian people) and having a close relative with diabetes.
The symptoms of diabetes include going to the toilet (urinating) more often and especially at night, increased thirst, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of cuts and wounds and blurred vision.
Visit here to take the free test to determine your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Notes
1. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). Insulin acts as a key unlocking the cells, so if there is not enough insulin, or it is not working properly, the cells are only partially unlocked (or not at all) and glucose builds up in the blood. Around 90 per cent of people with diabetes (2.5 million) have Type 2 diabetes, which is strongly, but not exclusively, linked to being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet. In many cases the condition can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables but low in fat, sugar and salt. Type 1 diabetes develops if the body cannot produce any insulin. Insulin is a hormone which helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body. Type 1 diabetes usually appears before the age of 40. It is the least common of the two main types and accounts for around 10 per cent of all people with diabetes. It is not connected with being overweight or leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
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