Diabetes Risk an the Benefits of Treatment Helping YOU prevent problems for the future!!! Complied by: Paul Dromgoole RGN, RNMH, MSc Diabetes, PGCE. Clinical Lecturer in Diabetes / DSN

What do you think or feel about your diabetes diagnosis?

We have to accept that Diabetes is ‘risky’

Diabetes - The Scale of the Issue Around 700 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes: one person every two minutes People with Type 2 diabetes have a two-fold increased risk of stroke compared with the general population Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age in the UK Diabetes UK Facts ad Stats (2016) https://diabetes-resources-production.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/diabetes-storage/migration/pdf/DiabetesUK_Facts_Stats_Oct16.pdf

Diabetes - The Scale of the Issue Diabetes is the single most common cause of kidney failure Diabetes is the most common cause of lower limb amputation and around 7,400 leg, toe or foot amputations happen each year in England Most studies suggest that people with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer an episode of depression People with diabetes may have depressive episodes for longer periods than those without diabetes and they may recur more frequently Diabetes UK Facts ad Stats (2016) https://diabetes-resources-production.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/diabetes-storage/migration/pdf/DiabetesUK_Facts_Stats_Oct16.pdf

But: Effective risk factor management has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of diabetes complications

STENO Diabetes Centre, Copenhagen Can we reduce the chances of things going wrong? The STENO Diabetes Study

The STENO Study Take 160 people with diabetes Treat half of them in the ‘usual’ way for the time (1990’s) Treat the other half in the way we would do now: Lower HbA1c (the long term diabetes test) Lower Cholesterol Lower Blood Pressure Help people to stop smoking Encourage people to be more active

? What happened

Those who were treated more intensively had lower HbA1c, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and were less likely to be smokers. They were also more active. So what??

So what happened to those who ‘came on board’ ?? 50% They halved their risk of heart events and amputation!! 60% They reduced the risk of developing or of worsening eye and kidney damage by 60%!! 85% They reduced their risk of having a stroke by 85%!!!

So!!! Type 2 Diabetes is Risky!! But we also have fantastic evidence that we can dramatically reduce those risks if people come on board!!

You can reduce your Risks!! Glucose (HbA1c) control Health eating including watching salt intake Blood Pressure control Stay Positive! For YOU, many of these factors may already be addressed or a plan can be put into place! Watching weight Cholesterol control ! Partnership with your Diabetes Health Professional Not smoking Foot care Regular Diabetes Check-ups Staying Physically Active Understanding your medication & potential side effects