Tag Archives: Diabetes

The cost of diabetes….

You might be shocked to know that around 22,000 people with diabetes die early every year. Type 2 diabetes is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke, and there are currently some 5 million people in England at high risk of developing the disease.

Around 22,000 people with diabetes die early every year.

As well as the human cost, Type 2 diabetes treatment currently accounts for just under 9% of the annual NHS budget – that’s a whopping £8.8 billion a year!

Since the disease is largely preventable through lifestyle changes – having a healthy diet, maintaining a proper weight and getting enough exercise – the NHS Diabetes Prevention programme is primed to target these issues as it is rolled out.

If you live in one of the areas below you could be among the first to benefit from a referral that will give you tailored help to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes:

Newham West London Oldham East Midlands
Camden Sefton Leeds Worcestershire
Cheshire/Wirral Cumbria Dudley St Helens
Lincolnshire East and North Herts Bury Berkshire
Norfolk and Norwich Rochdale Southwark Essex
The South East Birmingham Derbyshire Herefordshire
Cambridge Peterborough Co Durham Sheffield

It’s a big programme – serious stuff!

High blood pressure linked to diabetes risk

People with high blood pressure have an almost 60 per cent greater chance of developing diabetes, according to a major global study conducted by The George Institute for Global Health.

In face of earlier conflicting reports, the study reliably shows a connection between pressure and diabetes. It could lead to new approaches for treating and reducing the chances of developing diabetes, which is an increasing burden on health services.

Concerned? Come and visit us for advice.

The study looked at the health records of 4.1 million adults in the UK who were initially free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and found for every 20mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure there was a 58 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes.

Higher blood pressure was also linked to a higher risk of getting diabetes in men and women of all age groups, regardless of weight.

Our pharmacist can advise on ways of managing your blood pressure. So come and pay us a visit.

Diabetes back in the news…

Five million people in England have blood sugar levels that indicate they are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a recent report from Public Health England.

Having high blood glucose levels significantly increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is a serious health condition which affects 2.9 million people in England, and can lead to devastating complications such as blindness, amputations and stroke, and ultimately early death.

Look out for the symptoms of diabetes

The new estimate further underlines the need to for people to take preventative action by losing weight, being more active and having a healthier diet. The condition already results in 22,000 early deaths and costs the NHS £8.8billion every year.

The NHS spends 10 per cent of its entire budget managing diabetes and unless we all get better at preventing Type 2 diabetes this figure will rise to unsustainable levels.

Diabetic? The talk hypos with your pharmacist

If you have diabetes, you are being encouraged to ‘TALK hypos’ with your pharmacist or GP as part of a campaign supported by insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk and Diabetes UK. The campaign, which coincides with Hypo Awareness Week (Sept 29-Oct 5), is designed to help people recognise and manage hypoglycaemia, one of the most common complications of diabetes.

Talk to your Pharamacist

TALK is a quick reminder of the important points:

• THINK: do you know what a hypo is? Do you suffer from hypos?
• ASK: your doctor or pharmacist about hypos and discuss them when you next speak to them
• LEARN: what can be done to better manage your hypos – this could be changes to lifestyle, as well as treatment options
• KEEP: track of your hypos so that you are well prepared when you talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

If people often experience hypos and are reluctant to sort them out, there can be a temptation to \’self-treat\’ by making changes to their usual medicines routine. This, in turn, can result in poor diabetes control and related complications. So, if you have diabetes, then remember to TALK…