One in five people in the UK has diabetes or pre-diabetes, Diabetes UK has revealed.
The charity warned the new data “shows that an urgent intervention is needed” in diabetes care and type 2 diabetes prevention, to lower the number of people living with the condition.
“Our new diabetes prevalence figures show that there are now 4.6 million people in the UK who have a diagnosis of diabetes. This is an all-time high. This figure is up from 4.4 million people last year,” the charity added.
And the bad news doesn’t end there, either.
Diabetes UK warned that an estimated 6.3 million people are living with non-diabetic hyperglycemia – also known as pre-diabetes – but some won’t be aware of this.
If left untreated, pre-diabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms to look out for
Unfortunately, pre-diabetes doesn’t have any symptoms. According to Diabetes UK, “if you start to have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes it means you have probably already developed it”.
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- peeing, especially at night
- feeling more tired, because your body can’t get enough glucose in to your cells for energy
- losing weight without trying
- genital itching or thrush
- cuts and wounds taking longer to heal
- blurred vision
- feeling extremely thirsty.
If you are concerned about pre-diabetes, you can call your GP and request a blood test, which can diagnose the condition.
Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is preventable
The National Institute of Health advises: “The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop health problems, so delaying diabetes by even a few years will benefit your health.
“You can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing a modest amount of weight by following a reduced-calorie eating plan and being physically active most days of the week.”
Diabetes UK recommends a balanced diet to help prevent the condition, advising that these are healthy approaches:
If you are looking for support or guidance, Diabetes UK has a dedicated health hub.
