November 14th is World Diabetes Day

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 11 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- World Diabetes Day is

celebrated every year on 14 November. The date commemorates the birthday of

Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the

discovery of insulin in 1921.

In almost every country of the world, diabetes is on the rise. The

current number of people with diabetes stands at over 230 million. The

disease is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, amputation, heart

attack and stroke. It is one of the most significant causes of death,

responsible for a similar number of deaths each year as HIV/AIDS.

President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Professor Pierre

Lefebvre outlines the facts: "Over a fifty year period, diabetes has become a

global problem of devastating human, social and economic impact. The total

number of people living with diabetes is increasing by more than 7 million

per year. If nothing is done, the global epidemic will affect over 350

million people within a generation. Unchecked, diabetes threatens to

overwhelm healthcare services in many countries and undermine the gains of

economic advancement in the developing world."

The theme chosen by the IDF and WHO for this year’s World Diabetes Day

is ‘diabetes in the disadvantaged and the vulnerable’. Diabetes

representative organizations worldwide are drawing attention to diabetes

health inequalities and promoting the message that every person with diabetes

has the right to the highest attainable healthcare that their country can

provide.

Diabetes hits the poorest hardest

Contrary to the widely held perception that diabetes is a disease of the

affluent, studies show that the economically disadvantaged are at higher

risk. The global picture reveals that within 20 years 80% of all people with

diabetes will live in low- and middle-income countries, in many of which

there is little or no access to life-saving and disability-preventing

diabetes treatments.

In affluent countries, people who are relatively poor are at greater risk

of type 2 diabetes. In the USA, for example, households with the lowest

incomes have the highest incidence of diabetes.

A cruel choice

The impact of diabetes on these individuals and their families is often

devastating. It is estimated that poor people with diabetes in some

developing countries spend as much as 25% of their annual income on diabetes

care. As IDF President-Elect Martin Silink puts it, "For some, the

consequences of diabetes can be merciless. The economically disadvantaged are

pushed further into poverty and face a terrible choice: pay for treatment and

face catastrophic debt, or neglect their health and face disability or

premature death."

The elderly, ethnic minorities and indigenous communities are all

disproportionately affected by the diabetes epidemic. In developed countries,

people over the age of 65 are almost 10 times more likely to develop diabetes

than people in the 20-40 year age group. In the United States, it is

estimated that one in two people from ethnic minorities born in the year 2000

will develop diabetes during their lifetime, compared to one in three for the

general population. In Canada, the prevalence of diabetes among First Nation

peoples is three to five times higher than that of the general population in

the same age group. The same is true among Australian Aborigines.

To do nothing is not an option

The diabetes epidemic threatens to be one of the greatest health

catastrophes the world has ever seen. To coincide with November 14th this

year, the International Diabetes Federation is calling on the global diabetes

community to rally behind the campaign for a United Nations Resolution on

diabetes by signing an online petition at http://www.unitefordiabetes.org and

passing a virtual version of the blue circle that has come to symbolise

diabetes.

Note to Editors:

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an organization of over

190 member associations in more than 150 countries. Its mission is to promote

diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. IDF leads the campaign for a

UN Resolution on diabetes. See http://www.unitefordiabetes.org .

World Diabetes Day is an initiative of the International Diabetes

Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Visit

http://www.worlddiabetesday.org for further information .