Diabetes Awareness Week 2014
Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia. Did you know that anyone can develop diabetes?
Diabetes Awareness Week is a national week aimed at raising awareness of diabetes, the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed and can no longer produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by lifestyle factors and cannot be prevented. It accounts for 10 -15% of all cases of diagnosed diabetes.
For Type 2 diabetes there are unmodifiable risk factors that place a person at greater risk of diabetes including increasing age, family history, some ethnic backgrounds (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Melanesian, Polynesian, Chinese or Indian sub-continent) and previous heart attack or presence of heart disease. There are also modifiable risk factors that include physical inactivity, increased body weight, elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and smoking.
Diabetes SA is a member-based, independent charity that helps people to manage living with diabetes through information, education, support and supplying products. Diabetes SA encourages people to know their risk of developing diabetes, and take the test by completing the AusDrisk tool.
This year Diabetes SA is focusing on ‘Diabetes: Know your Medications’. The key messages are:
- Understanding how diabetes medications work
- Potential side-effects
- Considerations when taking diabetes medication
See Diabetes SA's calendar for events on education, diet, exercise amd health maintenance.
