The cure for Diabetes
Alex Koffman
Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of diseases which impair the bodyÊs natural ability to control the concentration of glucose in the blood. There are two main types, Type 1 develops in children and young adults and accounts for about 10% of all cases of diabetes. Type 2 develops in later life and accounts for 90% of cases of diabetes. In the United Kingdom, there are 2.9million diagnosed cases of diabetes with 400 new cases being diagnosed every day. 1 Diabetes UK predicts this number will rise to 5 million by 2025. 2 Presently there is no definitive cure for diabetes; however most people with diabetes lead relatively normal lives as a result of insulin therapy, a special diet and careful monitoring of their blood sugar which must be continued for the rest of their life. If diabetes can be controlled successfully using this method then why should we invest time and money coming up with a cure? The simple fact is that not every diabetes sufferer controls their blood glucose levels well. If a diabeticÊs blood glucose is left to rise uncontrollably, as a result of them refusing to take insulin, they become severely hyperglycaemic. If left untreated, the blood becomes acidotic, is more acidic than normal, and the patient will experience nausea, dehydration and blurry vision before progressing into a diabetic coma and eventually death. Although in most cases this can be treated effectively, death does occur in 1% of patients due to the rapid onset of the symptoms. 3 1 http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/What-we- say/Statistics/Diabetes-in-the-UK-2012/; http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes/Pages/Diabetes.aspx. 2 http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Reports/Diabetes_in _the_UK_2010.pdf. 3 Joint British Diabetes Societies Inpatent Care Group (March 2010). ÂThe Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in AdultsÊ.
There are many more adverse effects of poor blood glucose control. High blood glucose can affect the heart, causing a much higher risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease. It can also affect blood vessels; this not only increases the risk of a stroke by between 2 to 4 times but can also cause poor circulation to the leg and foot which can result in necrosis and gangrene, meaning the affected area has to be amputated. 4 In fact, poorly controlled diabetes accounts of 60% of amputations not related to injuries. High glucose levels as a result of diabetes can also cause kidney failure; in fact 44% of kidney failures are caused by diabetes complications. Despite insulin therapy being available, over 1 in 10 adult deaths in the UK can be attributed directly to diabetes. 5 In addition to the effect that diabetes can have on peopleÊs health, the cost of diabetes in the UK is huge. £14billion a year, equivalent to £25,000 per minute, is spent on treating diabetes and its complications by the NHS in England and Wales alone. This means that 10% of the NHSÊs budget is spent on a single disease. There are also extensive social costs of diabetes. It is estimated that the cost of absenteeism and early retirement caused by diabetes is a further £15.3billion a year. 6 This makes the total annual cost of diabetes close to £30billion, almost double the cost of treating all forms of cancer. 7 Although effective treatment is available, it is expensive and some people are unable to treat themselves properly. The most suitable solution to both of these problems is to 4 http://diabetes.webmd.com/risks-complications- uncontrolled-diabetes. 5 http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Reports/Silent_assass in_press_report.pdf.
6 http://www.diabetes.co.uk/cost-of-diabetes.html. 7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20222759.
9
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker