The number of Canadians living with diabetes has doubled since 2000, and will grow by another 40 per cent by 2025.
In British Columbia, the number of people living with diabetes is expected to grow to approximately 463,000 in 2016. This means 28.2 per cent of the population will be living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, including many living with the disease but undiagnosed.
The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that 30 per cent of all people living with diabetes are undiagnosed.
“There is no mistaking the seriousness of diabetes,” says Julie Knisley, regional director for the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for B.C. and Yukon.
“Diabetes is not only a personal crisis for individuals living with the disease and for their families, but for the province as well.”
The CDA’s recent report on diabetes, Driving Change, highlighted the action needed to address gaps in the care available to Canadians living with diabetes in the face of rapidly growing numbers.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. This leads to high levels of blood glucose (sugar), which over time can result in serious complications.
In pre-diabetes, a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. Nearly half of those with pre-diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes.
For people with diabetes, keeping healthy requires a balance of nutrition and physical activity along with medication if prescribed and monitoring of blood sugar levels. Lifestyle is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes but family history, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and environment also play a significant part.
The CDA is the registered national charity that helps the more than 10 million Canadians with diabetes or pre-diabetes live healthy lives, and educates those at risk.
In communities across Canada, the CDA:
• Offers a wide array of support services to members of the public;
• Offers resources to health-care professionals on best practices to care for people with diabetes;
• Advocates to governments, schools, workplaces and others on behalf of people with diabetes; and
• Funds research on better treatments and to find a cure.
For more information, visit diabetes.ca or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).