Diabetes Dialogue - Did you know?

Did you know?

If all diagnosed patients began queuing for a ride on the London Eye when it opened on New Years day, it would take until March 29th for then all to have a ride, that’s with a capacity of 16,000 people a day. Add on the undiagnosed patients and the Eye would be full again until the end of May. To put it another way, both diagnosed and undiagnosed patients would fill 18,750 Concordes. (Calculations based on the London Eye being open from 10am until 8pm, seven days a week, with each trip lasting 30 minutes and having a capacity of 800 people.)

Diabetes has a significant impact in the day-to-day quality of life of patients and their families: In one study, 24% of respondents reported a moderate or marked impact on their quality of life in terms of social life, 23% in terms of eating out, and 24% with their sex life. Moderate or marked worry for spouse as a result of the disease was mentioned by 36% of respondents, while 17% mentioned worry for children under 16. (Quality of life in non-insulin-dependent diabetes and a comparison with insulin-dependent diabetes, Mayou et al, 1999. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34: 1-11).

Diabetes is a disease that has a disproportionate impact both upon minorities and on people who are already disadvantaged: One study showed that amongst young diabetes sufferers, the absence of one or both parents was associated with poor glycaemic control as measured by HbA1c. (Factors influencing glycaemic control in young people with type 1 diabetes in Scotland, Scottish Study Group for the Care of the Young Diabetic, 2001. Diabetes Care, 24: 239-244 – Those that had natural parents at home had an average HbA1c value 0.38 percentage points lower).

In a study of Southall, an area of London with comparable numbers of Asians and Europeans, of 1,143 diabetic patients, 67% were Asian, 28% European, and 4% Afro-Caribbean. Crude prevalence was 2.2% in Asians, compared to 1.2% in Europeans and Afro-Caribbeans. Estimated overall prevalence in Asians was 4.6%, 3.8 times greater than the European rate. (The Southall Diabetes Survey: prevalence of known diabetes in Asians and Europeans. Mather HM and Keen H. 1985. British Medical Journal, 291: 1081-1084).

The crude mean cost of acute hospital care for each diabetic person in the community was £2,101 per person per year, compared to £308 for each non-diabetic person (1994/5 pay and prices). This method suggested an excess cost of £1,793 per diabetic person per year (1994/5 pay and prices). (NHS acute sector expenditure for diabetes: the present, future, and excess inpatient cost of care. Currie CJ, et al. 1997. Diabetic Medicine, 14: 686-692).