It's time for us all to start thinking about what we are doing for World Diabetes Day WDD on 14 November. This year is all about promoting early diagnosis and risk reduction, messages we can all get behind. The earlier diagnosis happens, the sooner treatment can start and the risk of complications is reduced. There's more information about WDD here.
Risk factors according to WDD are (directly from website here):
"Symptoms for type 2 diabetes can be mild or absent, which means the condition can go undetected for years. This means prediabetes or the early signs of type 2 diabetes are often missed which delays diagnosis. For many people the first sign of type 2 diabetes is a complication such as cardiovascular disease, vision loss, kidney disease or nerve disease that can lead to amputation.
Understanding your risk is key to early detection and taking action to reduce your risk.
Risk factors include:
Age: The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with age.
Prediabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT): Higher-than-normal blood glucose increases risk.
Family history: People with a parent, sibling, or child with diabetes are 2 to 6 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Overweight and inactivity: A high waist measurement and a sedentary lifestyle increases risk.
Unhealthy diet: Healthy nutrition supports weight management and reduces risk.
Ethnicity*: Type 2 diabetes is 2 to 4 times more likely in people of South Asian, African-Caribbean and Black African descent.
High blood pressure: This can damage blood vessels and increases risk.
Pregnancy history: Gestational diabetes or poor maternal nutrition increases future risk for mother and child."
*In Aotearoa New Zealand, the populations with the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes are Māori and Pacific peoples.
