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A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) appealed to members of the public for continued vigilance and prevention of diabetes mellitus (diabetes) by maintaining a healthy lifestyle to echo with the World Diabetes Day (WDD) today (November 14).
The International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization designated November 14 every year as the WDD in 1991 to address growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes poses. The theme of the WDD for the period 2009 to 2013 is "Diabetes Education and Prevention", while the slogan this year is "Protect Our Future". This particular day engages peoples worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.
Diabetes is a chronic disorder characterised by a raised blood glucose level and is the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness, leg amputation, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and death.
"It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Hong Kong. There were about 20,000 hospital admissions and 398 registered deaths due to diabetes in 2012. Diabetes was the 10th most common local cause of death, accounting for 0.9 per cent of all deaths last year," the spokesman remarked.
Type II diabetes has been the most frequent form of diabetes among Hong Kong adults.
"Type II diabetes happens when body cells are resistant to insulin, a hormone released from the pancreas to facilitate storage of glucose in the body, and hence cannot take up and use the glucose effectively. Excess blood glucose is resulted," the spokesman explained.
Currently, around one in 10 persons (about 700,000) in the local population are affected by Type II diabetes. The prevalence ranges from 2 per cent in persons aged less than 35 to more than 20 per cent among the elderly aged over 65. The prevalence of diabetes worldwide is increasing, with more than half being undiagnosed. According to local studies, diabetes has remained the most common primary cause leading to end-stage renal disease. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 18 per cent among diabetic patients with first diagnosis of up to one year.
"As a high proportion of patients does not realise they have the disease, we would like to draw public attention to the fact that the local prevalence of diabetes has been on the rise. Health risks associated with diabetes can, however, be reduced by maintaining a healthy lifestyle," the spokesman said.
Members of the public are advised to take heed of the following advice against diabetes and its complications:
* Achieve and maintain a healthy and optimum body weight;
* Be physically active and exercise regularly;
* Adopt a healthy and balanced diet; and
* Avoid smoking cigarettes.
Individual participation and self-monitoring are crucial to the effective control of diabetes. The public should learn more about the disease. They should also develop a close partnership with family doctors and health-care professionals, who can provide appropriate medical advice or treatment and closely monitor their health conditions, with a view to controlling diabetes and preventing its complications.
The DH is committed to raising public awareness, promoting healthy behaviour, motivating self-care and early detection to control diabetes by a series of activities in collaboration with community partners, including health messages through television dramas, media interviews and newspaper articles.
The public and health-care professionals may visit the website of the DH's Primary Care Office for the Hong Kong Reference Framework for Diabetes Care for Adults in Primary Care Settings (www.pco.gov.hk/english/resource/professionals_diabetes_pdf.html) and more useful resources (www.pco.gov.hk/english/resource/public_leaflet.html).
Ends/Thursday, November 14, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:00
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