The fact that diabetes affects around three million people in the UK and costs the NHS many millions of pounds more makes it one of the UK's big health issues. The fact that the number of people with diabetes is growing has made it even more of a priority. In the rush to educate people about diabetes however, little has been done to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
With around 1 in 20 people living with diabetes in the UK much is made about the need for people to take responsibility for their future and lead a healthy lifestyle now to avoid complications later. Yet in all the talk about how obesity contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes, little is ever said about type 1 diabetes.
Consequently people are generally aware that more and more people are being diagnosed with (type 2) diabetes. Few people would know that the rate at which people are developing type 1 diabetes is also on the up, especially amongst young children. This is largely down to the fact the media often talks about a rise in 'diabetes' generally.
However, with so much attention being paid to type 2 diabetes, many people are not even aware of the fact that type 1 is a distinct condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. They are unaware that the onset of type 1 diabetes usually affects very young children and that it reduces a person's life expectancy by around 20 years.
While the government, healthcare professionals and the media are right to inform the public about how they should take an active role in reducing their chances of developing type 2 diabetes, this mustn't be at the expense of those with type 1. If funding for 'diabetes' in general is being spent on issues that do not affect type 1 diabetes, it will be doing a massive disservice to the hundreds of thousands of people living silently with the condition.
With around 1 in 20 people living with diabetes in the UK much is made about the need for people to take responsibility for their future and lead a healthy lifestyle now to avoid complications later. Yet in all the talk about how obesity contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes, little is ever said about type 1 diabetes.
Consequently people are generally aware that more and more people are being diagnosed with (type 2) diabetes. Few people would know that the rate at which people are developing type 1 diabetes is also on the up, especially amongst young children. This is largely down to the fact the media often talks about a rise in 'diabetes' generally.
However, with so much attention being paid to type 2 diabetes, many people are not even aware of the fact that type 1 is a distinct condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. They are unaware that the onset of type 1 diabetes usually affects very young children and that it reduces a person's life expectancy by around 20 years.
While the government, healthcare professionals and the media are right to inform the public about how they should take an active role in reducing their chances of developing type 2 diabetes, this mustn't be at the expense of those with type 1. If funding for 'diabetes' in general is being spent on issues that do not affect type 1 diabetes, it will be doing a massive disservice to the hundreds of thousands of people living silently with the condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment