A new study has claimed that over half a million people in Scotland are currently at tisk of developing type 2 diabetes due to an unhealthy lifestyle.
The Scottish Diabetes Survey 2011 revealed that there are around 50,000 people already suffering from the metabolic condition but are not aware of it, while there are almost 250,000 people that have already been diagnosed with diabetes in the country. The number of type 2 diabetes patients, a condition typically caused by problems of weight, was also shown to account for about 12 per cent of all costs for hospital in-patients.
The Diabetes Professional Conference, currently being held in Glasgow, will also be told that it is the people who are over 40 and overweight that are most at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although it is also affecting an increasing number of younger people.
Simon O’Neill, director of care and policy at the charity Diabetes UK, commented “It is estimated that nearly 50,000 people in Scotland are living with diabetes who do not know it. A further 620,000 are estimated to be at risk of developing diabetes. It’s therefore vital that the NHS empowers people to engage in their own care.”
He added “Proper management of diabetes can make the difference in people living a long and healthy life and them developing life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.”

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