In honor of World Health Day on April 7, the World Health Organization is bringing information about diabetes to the forefront of people’s minds.
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In some parts of the USA, diagnoses of type 2 diabetes cases outnumber type 1 cases in children, Faiman said, noting that type 2 diabetes used to be a disease more common among the elderly and to see it in a growing number of children is especially worrying.
World Health Organization estimates that roughly 422 million people worldwide live with diabetes – type 2 diabetes is thought to account for 90 per cent of cases.
Diabetes is spreading like anything with widespread health and socioeconomic impacts around the globe.
Diabetes alone caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012, while high blood glucose led to another 2.2 million deaths.
The programme was organised to inform journalists about the preparations for observing this year’s World Health Day today with the slogan – “Make healthy choices every day: Keep diabetes at bay”.
In hopes of earning global attention, WHO released its first Global Report on Diabetes in line with the celebration of World Health Day. Most alarming was the fact that half of all of the adults found to have diabetes in 2014 actually came from just five places: China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and yes, the United States.
“As many of you know, diabetes is a lifestyle disease; in some cases it is preventable”, Mr. McLaughlin said. In 2014 the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be 9% among adults aged 18+ years. It can cause early death or serious complications like blindness, stroke, kidney disease, amputation and heart disease.
“Key factors in both the prevention and management of diabetes are weight management, diet and exercise – the three go hand in hand”, said the resident nutritionist at Adventure Boot Camp, Kim Hofmann.
In the USA, diabetes accounted for more than 27,000 deaths among those younger than 70 and almost 44,000 deaths of people 70 and older. Increasing awareness of diabetes on World Health Day could help encourage further actions that will aid diabetes research, ultimately tackling it. So, the significant increase is likely due to a rise in type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to obesity, according to the study authors.
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“Mindful of this fact, we all have a personal responsibility to play a part in halting the rise of the diabetic epidemic”, the premier said.
