Over 100,000 people living with diabetes

An estimated 5.7 per cent of the adult population have been diagnosed with diabetes in the Province, with 3,469 people newly diagnosed in the past year.

The report is published by Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, whose National Director by Dr David Chaney said: “Diabetes remains one of the biggest challenges faced by society with the potential to overwhelm and bankrupt the Health and Social Care service. Diabetes is now the fastest growing epidemic of our time and is, as this report states, a serious, relentless and challenging condition.

“Diabetes UK continues to fund research towards a cure for Type 1 diabetes, which cannot be prevented, but with good quality care and intervention by specialists, we can reduce associated complications of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, foot amputation and premature death.

“The charity has evidence in many published reports that up to sixty per cent of Type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented, for those considered at high risk, who make use of diabetes prevention programmes as well as a healthier lifestyle. For that reason we welcome the Health Minister’s recent commitment to make implementation of a new Diabetes Strategic Framework committed to improving diabetes care outcomes and a fresh focus on prevention an immediate priority,” he said.

“From our perspective, the diabetes crisis has come to dominate our vascular activity” said vascular surgeon Mr Bernard Lee. “In addition to aneurysms and arterial disease, our work is focused on diabetes-related amputations. In 2015, we carried out four such amputations per week in Belfast. Eighty per cent of amputations commence as a foot ulcer, and we know that the majority of these can be avoided with good care.

“It is critical to ensure that the annual foot check is carried out with their GP,”