Diabetes Week 2018 (11-15 June)

Diabetes UK organises ‘Diabetes Week’ each year to raise awareness of diabetes and what changes patients can make in order to reduce their risk of developing diabetes.

Diabetes UK has a long history of campaigning; it was founded in 1934 by the writer H.G. Wells and Dr R.D Lawrence, who were themselves diabetics. This week is all about creating awareness of the condition and encouraging patients to share their experiences of living with diabetes. Many other groups and organizations take part in diabetes week, hosting a wide variety of informative and fundraising events. They are also involved with campaigning, funding research and offering support and advice to current sufferers. Diabetes U.K. has many useful resources for professionals who are involved in diabetic health care, including information on best practice and up to date research discoveries.

Diabetes is predicted to become a huge crisis for the future health of the UK’s population. It is a health condition that can have a major impact on a patient’s life and once at the advanced stage, diabetes can cause a host of other health complications. Knowledge of the causes of diabetes is a prerequisite to reducing the risk of becoming diabetic.

Diabetes afflicts more people in the U.K. than any other serious health condition. There are 4.6 million Type 1 sufferers and an estimated 12.3 million people are potential type 2 diabetics.