Stark rise in diabetes sufferers

THE number of people with diabetes in Leicestershire has increased from 69,597 to 71,768 since last year.

Leicester has the highest prevalence in the region, with more than 30,000 people now diagnosed with the condition.

After releasing the analysis, Diabetes UK is urgently calling on Government to tackle obesity.

In the UK, 3.9 million people are living with a diagnosis of diabetes, and 90 per cent of those with type 2.

In addition, there are almost a million more people living with type 2 diabetes, who don’t know they have it because they haven’t been diagnosed yet, bringing the total number up to more than 4.8 million.

People with type 2 diabetes are 50 per cent more likely to die prematurely than those without diabetes.

While not every case of type 2 diabetes is associated with excessive weight, it is the single greatest risk factor, responsible for 80 to 85 per cent of someone’s risk of developing the condition.

Age, family history and ethnicity can also contribute, with people of African-Caribbean, Black African or South Asian descent two to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white people.

Obesity in England has almost doubled in the last 20 years from 6.9 million to 13 million, yet Government

action to tackle obesity appears to have stalled, says Diabetes UK.

The charity is calling on the Government to honour its manifesto commitment to tackle childhood obesity and take decisive action to stem the tide of obesity.

Peter Shorrick, Midlands and East regional head at Diabetes UK, said: “Type 2 diabetes is an urgent public health crisis.

More than half of all cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed by supporting people to make healthier choices.

“This includes mandating industry to make food and drinks healthier and addressing the marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods.

“The Government promised to tackle obesity and it’s time for them to deliver on this promise.”

The charity is also calling on the Government and NHS England to continue their focus on preventing devastating complications, through better care for all people with diabetes.

A common complication of diabetes is heart disease. People with type 2 diabetes are two to two-anda-half times more likely to experience heart failure and twice as likely to have a heart attack, compared with people without diabetes.