The increase in Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to blindness, heart disease and foot amputations, has reached crisis level and become a huge public-health problem, an Oireachtas committee was told yesterday
The increase in Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to blindness, heart disease and foot amputations, has reached crisis level and become a huge public-health problem, an Oireachtas committee was told yesterday
An estimated 250,000 people in the State had diabetes but 100,000 of those were undiagnosed, the committee heard.
People were getting the disease younger and the average delay from onset to diagnosis had moved from seven to 12 years. People were being diagnosed only when they already had complications such as heart, kidney or eye disease and foot problems.
A delegation representing the Diabetes Federation of Ireland yesterday stressed to the Joint Committee on Health and Children the urgent need for a national diabetes strategy.
Federation chairman Dr Tony O'Sullivan said: "Type 2 diabetes is no longer a future threat - it is a current crisis."
Onset used to be in the over 50s now there were a huge number in their 30s and 40s and quite a few in their 20s. Some children were also developing it.
"Type 2 is very insidious and is often without symptoms until there are complications. It needs to be the priority chronic illness over the next few years," he said.
The interventions the federation proposed were affordable.There was a need for national screening, particularly for eye problems, he said. Implementation of care services including foot services was also needed.
"There is an urgent need for national co-ordination and an HSE forum on diabetes. This should be implemented straight away. The lack of co-ordination in developing diabetes services is our biggest problem today," Dr O'Sullivan said.
About 50 per cent of Type 2 diabetes could be attributed to obesity and overweight so that could be prevented but the other half could not, he added.
An estimated 10 per cent of the total healthcare budget was spent on diabetes care and 60 per cent of that could be attributed to treating people with complications of Type 2 diabetes.
A fully resourced strategy and integrated health promotion programme to make people aware of symptoms and risk factors would save the health service millions in the longer term and would immeasurably improve the lives of thousands of people in the State, he said.
Consultant endocrinologist Dr Richard Firth said: "A national diabetes strategy is urgently needed and I cannot express how urgent this is. Investment now in a community-based network of diabetes teams will lead to savings within five years and serve as a model for preventative care of the most common chronic disease facing us."
He said undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes was the primary cause of heart disease, kidney disease, lower limb amputations and blindness in under 65s.
Research proved that delayed diagnosis contributed to early eye problems with over 50 per cent of people having sight-threatening problems at the time of diagnosis. For some, it was already too late. "Yet if we had the services in place we know we can stop diabetes-related blindness from developing," Dr Firth added.
Dr Fidelma Dunne, consultant endocrinologist, said it cost €2.5 million per year to look after 100 people who were registered blind and that would be the cost of developing a proper screening programme for Type 2 diabetes.
The helpline is 1850909909 and its website is www.diabetes.ie