Type 2 Diabetes: A Preventable Catastrophe?
A call to action from IDF
More than one million people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) die prematurely each year due to preventable complications. That's the equivalent of three jets crashing every day – a tragedy we would never have allowed to happen. And yet, when it comes to the untimely death of one million people living with T2D, there is no international resonance and no sense of urgency to act. Can we continue to ignore it?
We know that this disaster is preventable and that life-changing complications can be delayed or prevented by identifying, diagnosing, and treating people early. Why don't we act?
Evidence suggests that high blood glucose levels can cause damage to virtually any organ, including the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes, and nerves. It also tells us that achieving tight control of blood glucose, as well as blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight, during the first five years of the condition can create a memory effect with long-term benefits and a significant reduction in the risk.
Evidence suggests that high blood glucose levels can cause damage to virtually any organ, including the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes, and nerves. It also tells us that achieving tight control of blood glucose, as well as blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight, during the first five years of the condition can create a memory effect with long-term benefits and a significant reduction in the risk.
What people with diabetes need is access to the right treatment at the right time. Their treatment should be accompanied by an individual approach and regularly reviewed. If it turns out to be ineffective, it must be corrected immediately before complications occur and become irreversible.
We need immediate, coherent and radical change to rebuild our health systems, integrate evidence into practice, and remove barriers that hinder effective prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and that result in unacceptable numbers of people experiencing loss of quality of life and premature death.
These strategies are addressed in IDF Europe's latest publication, Type 2 Diabetes: An Avertable Disaster?, published in early June, which calls for the immediate and coherent adoption of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the management of type 2 diabetes across Europe. The publication is available here, and the recording of the launch event is here.
These strategies are addressed in IDF Europe's latest publication, Type 2 Diabetes: An Avertable Disaster?, published in early June, which calls for the immediate and coherent adoption of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the management of type 2 diabetes across Europe. The publication is available here, and the recording of the launch event is here.
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