Borough has region’s highest diabetes rate
HEYWOOD, Middleton and Rochdale has the highest rate of diabetes in Greater Manchester, alarming new figures have revealed.
And the number of people being diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes has soared across the region in the last 12 months.
The problem is most prevalent in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale where around 8.4pc of people live with the long-term condition.
The rate is considerably highers than the national average of 6.6pc.
Across Greater Manchester the number of people diagnosed with both types of diabetes has increased from 162,483 to 169,389 in the last year.
Salford is the borough with the lowest rate in the region with 6.4pc of the population affected.
The latest analysis has been released by bosses at Diabetes UK, who are calling for an end to the marketing of unhealthy food.
The charity say diabetes affects more people than any other serious health condition in the UK - more than dementia and cancer combined.
The illness occurs when the body is unable to use glucose properly, causing an excess of the sugar in the bloodstream.
People with Type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin while those with Type 2, a form more likely to occur in people who are overweight, do not produce enough insulin.
If not managed well, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can lead to serious complications including sight loss, lower limb amputation and kidney failure.
Stephen Ryan, Head of the North at Diabetes UK, said: “Unless we act, and urgently, diabetes prevalence will continue to rise. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are serious conditions that can lead to devastating complications such as amputation, blindness, kidney disease, stroke and heart disease if people don’t receive the right care.
“Type 1 diabetes isn’t currently preventable, but three in five cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed. We need to end the marketing of unhealthy food to children and make sure the food all of us eat is healthier.
“More people who are at high risk of Type 2 diabetes must be identified so that they can get the education, care and support they need to reduce their risk.
“We have to take action now so that we can live in a world where fewer people have diabetes in the future.”