The diabetes timebomb in Wales

Tue, 27 Jul 2010
Diabetes currently affects 2.5 million people in the UK. Wales has 146,000 people with the condition. This figure is expected to rise to over 225,000 by 2025 due to modern lifestyles.

Shadow Health Minister Andrew R T Davies is urging action to tackle the causes of the disease.

If action isn’t taken now to tackle the problem the future treatments will place a huge burden on the Welsh NHS.

Type 1 diabetes largely affects young people with approx 1,400 people under 25 diagnosed which accounts for 15 per cent of all diabetics in Wales. This form is less common than Type 2 diabetes which usually affects the over 40s. However it can affect younger people who do not exercise and eat fatty foods .

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Wales has quadrupled from 1.2 per cent in 1990 to 4.6 per cent in 2010.

According to Diabetes UK Cymru 80 per cent of diabetes cases are related to obesity and a more sedentary lifestyle.

Currently Wales has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world, where 22 per cent of 13 year old boys and 16 per cent of 13 year old girls are classed as obese or overweight .

However Cardiff University and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are researching the causes of Type 1 diabetes. Another study in Swansea is looking at diabetes and heart disease treatments.

Whilst this disease is far from being eradicated steps are being taken to help diabetes patients . Prevention is the way forward by reducing the incidence of diabetes. Failing to act now will mean greater problems in the future as well as high costs for the NHS.

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