Drive to identify diabetes risk in Belfast
06/12/2011
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland and MediCare Pharmacy Group are working together in a bid to identify people who may be as risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
From the beginning of December, 19 MediCare pharmacies across Northern Ireland will be offering Diabetes UK Risk Assessments to customers. The assessments will assess a person’s risk of getting Type 2 diabetes within ten years and categorise it from low (one in 20) to increased risk (one in 10), moderate risk (one in 7) and finally high risk (one in 3). The trained pharmacy staff will then give advice on what people can do to reduce their risk.
Iain Foster, Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, said: “Figures released in October indicated a 40% increase in diabetes since 2005 and we still have 10,000 people who have diabetes but don’t know it. We believe that working with MediCare will help us to reach out to the thousands of people who are at risk of Type 2 diabetes and to those who remain undiagnosed. It is extremely important that people are diagnosed early so they can get the treatment they need and avoid serious complications. By working together we can identify people who are at risk of Type 2 diabetes and encourage them to take action which will prevent them from being diagnosed with what is a serious and lifelong condition.”
The diabetes risk assessments will be available throughout December 2011 in the following MediCare Pharmacy locations across Belfast; MediCare, 483 Ormeau Road and Medicare 126 Ormeau Road, 3 Carrickhill, 305 Grosvenor Road, 987 Upper Newtownards Road, Forestside Shopping Centre, Grove Wellbeing Centre, Kings Square Shopping Centre, 366/368 Lisburn Road and 189 Whiterock Road. MediCare pharmacies in Newtownabbey, Downpatrick, Omagh, Dungannon, Strabane, Lisburn and Derry will also be offering risk assessments during this time.
Dr Deirdre McAree, Professional Services Manager for the MediCare Pharmacy Group, said: “As MediCare pharmacies are often at the very heart of their local communities, we are delighted to provide these evidence-based assessments to the people we serve. Pharmacists are in an ideal position to offer advice on improving health and taking action to reduce risk of developing serious conditions such as diabetes.”
If diabetes is not managed effectively and the blood glucose levels do not stay as close to normal as possible, it can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation.
What exactly is diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high. Insulin controls the levels of glucose in the blood. People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin. People with Type 2 diabetes may produce some insulin but not enough, or the insulin is not working properly (this is known as insulin resistance). If diabetes is not managed effectively and the blood glucose levels do not stay as close to normal as possible it can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. Diabetes kills more people in the UK than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.