Scotland Rolls Out Check Test on Type 1 Patients
Misdiagnosed type 1 diabetes patients could be freed from the need to take insulin after a new test is rolled out. Scotland will become the first country to offer the C-peptide blood test to all patients who have had a type 1 diagnosis for at least three years. There are about 315,000 people living with […]
Malaysia – Sugar Tax Principle Extended
In next year’s budget the Malaysian Government plans to keep the country’s excise duty for sugary beverages and introduce a duty for liquid or gel that contains nicotine used for electronic cigarettes and vapes. This is part of the Government’s health agenda, according to Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. He said: […]
Pakistan – 200,000 Amputations Preventable
It was revealed at the inaugural ceremony of the National Association of Diabetes Educators of Pakistan (NADEP) in Karachi that over 200,000 amputations every year in the country are due to diabetes. Prof Abdul Basit, secretary general of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan, is urging the Government to work for the prevention of the disease […]
News from Around the World
To mark November’s Diabetes Awareness Month and the centenary of the discovery of insulin, Canada’s Federal Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos MP, announced a joint investment of CAN $20 million to support new research teams across Canada. The teams will work to develop new approaches to preventing, treating, and caring for Canadians living […]
WDD reports continued.
Spain – In Valencia, Spain, an annual event marking WDD took place. The V111 Race Walk took place in Alicante on 14 November. Its aim is to highlight diabetes, promote healthy lifestyles. The walk, or run, is over 5 kilometres and starts in the morning from the beach at San Juan. It was carried out […]
World Diabetes Day 2021
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Fredrick Banting, who discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. Cyprus – For WDD the Medieval Castles of Paphos and Larnaka, as well as the Cyprus Museum at Nicosia (pictured), were lit blue. The Cyprus Diabetic Association persuaded the […]
Time in Range Movement Boost
In advance of World Diabetes Day (WDD) 2021, Dexcom helped launch The Global Movement for Time in Range in partnership with leading not-for-profits in the diabetes community, including Beyond Type 1, JDRF, TCOYD, College Diabetes Network, and Children with Diabetes. ‘Time in range’ is the percentage of time spent by a patient with glucose levels in their target range. The global initiative focuses on […]
Diabetes Makes Africa More Vulnerable to COVID Deaths
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, death rates from COVID-19 infections are much higher in patients with diabetes in Africa, where the number of people with diabetes is growing rapidly. A WHO analysis of data from 13 African countries found a 10.2 percent case fatality rate in COVID-19 patients with diabetes, compared with 2.5 […]
Big Surge in Diabetes Numbers – WHO
The number of people suffering from diabetes is surging, even as tens of millions cannot get the insulin they need, the World Health Organization has revealed. The UN health agency stressed the need to cut prices and dramatically increase access to the life-saving medicine. More than 420 million people are currently estimated to be living […]
Advocacy Tips
If you are a diabetes advocate – or would like to become one – understanding patient priorities is important. You can learn more from #docday°. Follow this link https://dedoc.org/docday to this year’s event and the welcome video from Bastian Hauck.
‘Going Green’
The Bermuda Diabetes Association (BDA) is going green. Debbie Jones reports that they are getting rid of their pharmacy bags and replacing them with bags made from recyclable materials. The BDA is also looking to replace all of the current medicine bottles which are made from toxic plastic with medicine bottles that are 100% biodegradable. […]
Dance for Diabetes
DA has also been active in encouraging people to participate in socially distant dance classes and raise funds for diabetes research. The launch for Dance4Diabetes was held at Brisbane’s Mt Coot-tha, a scenic spot and city icon. Dance4Diabetes encourages people to Donate, Dance and Dare to support diabetes research. You can find out more at https://dance4diabetes.org.au
“Heads Up on Diabetes”
Diabetes Australia (DA) is in the second year of a three year “Heads Up on Diabetes” campaign and this year is focusing on diabetes-related stigma. Their research indicates as many as 4 out of 5 people with diabetes have experienced feelings of blame or shame as a result of living with the condition, so this […]
News from Associate Members of PDGN – national diabetes associations and other not-for-profits
‘Less Talk, More Action’ The US Diabetes Leadership Council has launched a ‘Less Talk, More Action’ media campaign on rebate reform. The rebate system is fuelling the prescription drug pricing crisis. DLC believe that patients should never pay more for a covered product or service than their health plan pays. While some states have begun […]
Research Corner
Japan – A new study led by researchers at Shimane University has found small but significantly increased risks of diabetes and sarcopenia, which is loss of muscle and weakness due to aging, among older adults with oral frailty. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/poor-oral-health-linked-to-muscle-loss-and-diabetes Germany – Ten-year study into symptoms of depression in people with diabetes and more importantly for this work, […]
Sugar Tax News: Pakistan Sugar Tax Rise Proposed
Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has recommended the Finance Ministry should raise the taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB’s) including carbonated drinks in the coming budget to make them less affordable because of their health hazards. The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, has sent a recommendation […]
Nigerian Campaign for a 20 percent tax on Sugary Drinks
A coalition of non-governmental organisations, has urged the Nigerian Federal and State governments to place a 20 percent tax on sugary drinks and sugarsweetened beverages in the country. The coalition warned that the lack of excise duties on sugar-sweetened beverages could lead to a spike in the already worsening occurrences of diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, […]
Technology Corner
Roche Diabetes Care have launched the mySugr Pump Control in Switzerland. It is a new module within the mySugr app designed to enable people with diabetes to control an insulin pump directly via a smartphone. Availability in further European countries is likely to follow. https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/new s-releases/roche-launches-mysugr-pump-control-within-the-mysugr-app-to-simplify-insulin-pump-therapy-via-smartphone-878207237.html Afon Technology – Images have been released of a […]
Benefits of two Servings of Fruit a Day
People who consumed two servings of fruit per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years, according to a study published in June in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. That’s in contrast to those who consumed less than half a serving of fruit each day. […]
Green Tea & Coffee Can Save Lives
A new study has found that drinking green tea can be a lifesaver, especially for people with diabetics. The study reveals that drinking four or more cups of green tea along with two cups of coffee (or more) can lower the risk of death among people with the condition by 63 percent. The study also […]
More Nutrition News: Millet Based Diet Lowers Type 2 Risks
A recent article in the Times of India quotes research suggesting the cereal, millet, is effective in preventing diabetes or improving control of the condition. Read more here: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/millet-based-diet-lowers-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-says-icrisat/articleshow/84875531.cms
Challenging Food Culture in the Marshall Islands
In 2017 a survey of 4,000 elementary students in Majuro, capital of the Marshall Islands, found that 10 percent of fee-paying school students and 25 percent of state school students were overweight, and 85 percent of them ate vegetables 5 or fewer days a week. The Marshall Islands 60,000 inhabitants live spread out over 29 […]
UK Told Tax Sugar and Salt – Prescribe Veg
Sugar and salt should be taxed and vegetables prescribed by the NHS, an independent review of the food we eat has suggested. The report, led by businessman Henry Dimbleby, said taxes raised could extend free school meal provision and support better diets among the poorest. England’s National Food Strategy (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved […]
Global Walk for Diabetes
The World Diabetes Foundation is promoting organised walks around World Diabetes Day that falls each year on 14th November. The Foundation has produced comprehensive guides in numerous languages to help people organise one. Advocacy Action: Could you organise a walk among Parliamentarians? Your national diabetes association might be willing to help with the organisational leg […]
DKA Link to COVID in Young Type 1’s
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) events increased among youths with type 1 diabetes in the U.S. and other countries hit hard by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics. DKA is a serious problem that can happen in people with diabetes if their body starts to run […]
The Future is Automation
According to Medgadget, a web publication produced by ‘Coherent Market Insights’, the healthcare industry is rapidly adopting new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, medical imaging analytics; and extracting maximum benefits to drive down operational efficiencies, reduce cost of care, and enhance quality of care. Healthcare automation applications are assisting healthcare professionals and hospital […]
US Screening Age Lowered
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has lowered its recommended Type 2 diabetes screening age for overweight and obese adults. What sat at 40 years of age has now been lowered to age 35. The change is reflective of evidence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that signals an increase in prevalence […]
Diabetes epidemic continues to rise in India
The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is calling for prompt action to reverse the growing numbers of people with diabetes in the country. Diabetes in India has assumed epidemic proportions and there are now more than 77 million people in the country with the condition. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), India, says that, with […]
High Burden of Undiagnosed or Poorly Controlled NCDs
A comprehensive health-screening program in rural northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has found a high burden of undiagnosed or poorly controlled non-communicable diseases, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health. Researchers found that four out of five women over the age of 30 were living with a chronic health condition, and that the […]
More News From Around the Globe: Cross Aisle Support for Action
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41 percent of adults aged 60 and over had obesity in the period of 2015 through 2016, representing more than 27 million people, while the National Institutes of Health has reported that obesity and overweight are now the second leading cause of death nationally, […]
Covid-19: Fears over sharp rise in diabetes in India
A BBC report quotes Dr Rahul Baxi, a Mumbai based diabetologist saying: “The worry is that Covid-19 could trigger a tsunami of diabetes in India after the pandemic is over.” He said 8-10% of his patients with no history of diabetes who contracted Covid-19 continued to have high sugar levels months after recovery and were […]
NCD’s Hit Kenyan Incomes
According to Mutahi Kagwe, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Health, rising cases of cancers, diabetes, epilepsy and sickle cell disease, known as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in young people are contributing to a decrease of a third in Kenyan household incomes. In July this year, the country embarked on a five-year national strategic […]
News From Around the Globe: Provincial MP Calls for Better Eye Care
In the Canadian province of Ontario, New Democrat MPP, France Gelinas, is calling on the Legislative Assembly to provide better eye care for people living with diabetes in the Sudbury area. She said retinal scans are covered by the state when performed by an ophthalmologist, but cost patients out of pocket if they are performed […]
Type 2 Remission
The term “remission” should be used to describe a person with type 2 diabetes who has achieved a disease-free status. That is according to representatives from the American Diabetes Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Diabetes UK, the Endocrine Society and the Diabetes Surgery Summit. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20210830/remission-best-term-to-define-return-of-normal-glucose-levels-in-type-2-diabetes
Nutrition Concerns Expressed
UK Members of Parliament on a House of Commons Select Sub-Committee have welcomed a positive review of the UK foreign aid programme’s work on nutrition. But they raised questions about whether those achievements can endure, particularly as the review predicted the Covid-19 pandemic would cause a “huge increase in the number of people facing hunger […]
How Socioeconomic Status Drives Disparities in Health care
CAPTION: Ananta, Addala believes both environmental and discrimination contribute to disparities in health care. A presentation by Ananta Addala, to the virtual American Diabetes Association congress addressed how low socioeconomic status is a main driver of disparities in health care. Ananta, a paediatric endocrinologist and physician scientist at Stanford University, California, referred to a variety […]
Artificial Pancreas for NHS Patients
NHS England and NHS Improvement has recently announced plans for a new drive to revolutionise the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes, through provision of stateof-the-art artificial pancreas technology, 100 years after the discovery of insulin. Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) insulin delivery systems automatically balance blood sugar levels by constantly measuring glucose and delivering insulin […]
Aussie Pollies Debate 100 years of Insulin
Australian politicians, called pollies by their media, debated 100 years of insulin on a motion proposed by MPs, Rowan Ramsey and Graham Perrett, the Co-Chairs of the Australian Parliament’s Friends of Diabetes. In the debate many issues were raised with MPs from across the country taking part. Rowan Ramsey (right), a member of the ruling […]
Diabetes Advances Should be Global
New diabetes technology and other innovations have revolutionized type 2 diabetes control, but not universally. The New York based EverydayHealth organisation have listed nine advancements that have changed diabetes treatment and management in recent years. They include: Insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, smart phone apps, new insulins and medications, but how many of these and […]
High Court Rules on Diabetes Drug Patent
The cost for treating diabetes is expected to come down with a Delhi High Court having dismissed an appeal by AstraZeneca, which had sought the restraining of the generic versions of a blockbuster drug. The global pharma firm was also suing a host of domestic companies for the infringement of patents covering the drug. The […]
Simple Idea Gets Results
CAPTION: “One in three Singapore citizens at risk of diabetes! – Gan Kim Yong, former Health Minister (Photo: Wikipedia) A study commissioned by the Health Promotion Board of Singapore and published last year said that “a key risk factor of diabetes in Singapore is a high intake of sugar, particularly from beverages”. The study was […]
PDGN News
New Sponsorship Deal PDGN is delighted to welcome Dexcom as a sponsor for Global Advocacy News. Dexcom. Inc is a company that develops, manufactures and distributes continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for diabetes management. Please note: THE INCLUSION OF THIRD-PARTY ADVERTISEMENTS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT, GUARANTEE, WARRANTY, OR RECOMMENDATION BY PDGN, AND WE MAKE […]
CGM Devices for Maltese Children
PDGN Co-Chair and President of the Maltese Diabetes Association (MDA), Chris Delicata, reports on the work by the Association working with Malta’s politicians to deliver a project to distribute Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices to children and adolescents under 16 years and living with type 1 diabetes as part of the island’s National Health Service. […]
ADA and Beyond Type (BT1) Partnership Announced
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Beyond Type 1 (BT1) have linked-up. The partnership will feature combined resources, strategies, and tactics to better serve people living with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and pre-diabetes. The partnership is founded on a shared vision that both organisations will have greater impact by working together and playing […]
Associations’ News: COVID and Diabetes in Bermuda
COVID-19 hit Bermuda in March 2020, reports Debbie Jones, Chair of the Bermuda Diabetes Association. She said: “Like many other countries Bermuda did the best it could navigating itself around the advice from CDC, WHO and Public Health England. “The Bermuda Diabetes Association continued to serve the public during lockdown and provided those with diabetes […]
Associations’ News: News from Associate Members of PDGN – national diabetes associations and other not-for-profits
Diabetes Australia awards major research grants on 100-year anniversary of insulin discovery Research into new treatments for diabetes and ways to prevent the serious complications of diabetes are being supported in 19 diabetes research projects funded by the Diabetes Australia Research Program. Diabetes Australia CEO Professor Greg Johnson was hopeful that this AUS$1.1 million of […]
Research News
Singapore research finds surgery for type 2 diabetes may restore nearly a decade to life expectancy https://www.medwirenews.com/diabetes/surgery-type-2-diabetes-restore-nearly-decade-life-expectancy/19148930 Children with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk for developing neurodevelopment disorders, with the risk greater for those with a high HbA1c, according to a study published in Diabetologia. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20210316/high-hba1c-in-type-1-diabetes-linked-to-increased-risk-for-neurodevelopment-disorders Austrian/Swiss research finds that consuming moderate amounts […]
Sugar Tax News
Sugar taxes continue to hit the headlines, and whether you have or haven’t advocated for such a measure to try and reduce consumption this study by Rachel Arthur, Elaine Watson, Niamh Michail, Gary Scattergood, Flora Southey takes a look around the globe to at some of the markets where taxes have been introduced or are […]
Nutrition News
Healthy Food Beyond the Purse of South African Families Healthy food is too expensive for many South African families increasing the risks of poor health from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic respiratory diseases and obesity. These account for over half (51 percent) of all death in South […]
Indian-Food Tips
With a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes among South Asians, food tips to help people with or to prevent the condition could prove helpful.