Northern Ireland Research Giving Hope
Research plays an irreplaceable role in understanding more about conditions such as diabetes and it is with renewed excitement that on-going research such as the clinical trials at Stanford University School of Medicine can demonstrate positive signs, albeit very small signs. A vaccine may still be a long way off but it does however highlight that research can provide insight and potential answers in the future.
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland National Director, Iain Foster said, "All of our funding for research comes from donations alone so the work of our volunteers is absolutely vital in securing the on-going efforts of researchers right here in Northern Ireland. We spend more money on diabetes research than any other charity and in doing so; give hope to the thousands of people living with diabetes in Northern Ireland.
Research is a dynamic field and to have some of the best and brightest scientists and researchers based at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster dedicated to diabetes is a massive asset.
Such local research projects include a PhD study into diabetes-related kidney complications being carried out by Dr Amy McKnight at Queen's University Belfast and also the development of a tailored diabetes education for people with learning disabilities headed up by Dr Laurence Taggart at the University of Ulster. These are just two examples of local research making a difference.
There is an opportunity for people to adopt a research project which means you can donate money towards a particular project and play your part in making a future without diabetes possible. Go to www.diabetes.org.uk/research/ for more information.
As well as on-going fundraising efforts at a local level, as a national charity partner of Tesco, we aim to commit £4million purely to Type 1 diabetes research as a result of Tesco fundraising. This is a fantastic boost to our efforts and if anyone would like to be involved in fundraising for Diabetes UK Northern Ireland then contact our office on 028 9066 6646. Every little really does help."
Type 2 Diabetes E-learning Tool Now Available
Diabetes UK is proud to launch an innovative e-learning tool for people living with Type 2 diabetes. The new online package will provide interactive learning modules on:
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What Type 2 diabetes is andhow to treat the condition, including glucose monitoring, medication, insulin, health information and what care to expect;
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Information on living with diabetes, including holidays, employment, driving, leading a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a balanced diet and physical activity;
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Details of possible health complications from Type 2 diabetes and how to reduce the risk of developing them.
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland National Director, Iain Foster said,
"Diabetes UK is proud of the effective role it plays in helping those who live diabetes and supporting both the primary and secondary care providers with up to date information and guidance.
This latest innovative e-learning tool will undoubtedly help thousands of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes manage their condition and improve their quality of life.
'Type 2 diabetes and Me' (www.type2diabetesandme.co.uk) is an informative and helpful tool that can be used to better understand the condition and its potential health complications, as well as offering practical assistance on how to best monitor your glucose levels.
Diagnoses of Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in Northern Ireland and unfortunately will only continue to rise if we do not take appropriate and fast action. With this accessible e-learning experience it is hoped that more and more people living with Type 2 diabetes will sign up and tailor their management to suit their lives and face each day with renewed confidence.
At Diabetes UK Northern Ireland we will continue to work towards a future without diabetes."
Another Step in the Right Direction
Research indicating that the diabetes-related mortality rate has decreased since the mid-1990s has today been welcomed by the Diabetes UK Northern Ireland National Director, Iain Foster.
Mr Foster said,
"Whilst it is welcome news to hear that the diabetes-related death rate has reduced since the mid-1990s, it also reminds us of the work still to be done. We do not want people living with diabetes to be under a cloud of fear or depression; there is a lot to be positive about.
We are certainly moving in the right direction thanks to an improved understanding of the symptoms and a development in individualised treatment for those living with diabetes. Early diagnosis is vital so that people can learn to manage their condition and get the best results for their life.
Each year more and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes so we need to ensure that with the growing demand we have a more than adequate health provision. Currently in Northern Ireland there is an estimated 10,000 people living with diabetes who don't know they have the condition. Where possible, we need to intervene and further decrease this diabetes-related death rate.
We are supporting research projects here in Northern Ireland to continue the task of finding out more about diabetes and one day making the aspiration of a future without diabetes a reality. This news today is yet another step in the right direction.
At Diabetes UK Northern Ireland we can assist families as they start and carry on their jouney of living with diabetes. There are many diabetes-related conditions which cannot be ignored, diabetes is a very serious condition but with the right support and management we can help those living with diabetes live life to the full."
Green light for food labelling
Responding to the news that local manufacturers will be supporting the health-conscious 'traffic light' food labelling, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland National Director Iain Foster said,
"The traffic light system is a simple guide to help consumers make informed decisions about the food they eat and brings nutritional value front and centre during a shopping experience.
Consumers deserve to have all the information clearly labelled and the traffic light system certainly makes understanding what is actually in our food much easier. Purchasing power is back with the consumer and I hope that other manufacturers join in and encourage the front of package labelling.
We must continue to highlight that a very poor diet high in fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories leads to a vastly heightened risk of chronic illnesses, as well as Type 2 diabetes.
In Northern Ireland there are currently 75,837 people living with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This alarming number will continue to rise with each year unless we are proactive about making informed decisions about our diets and lifestyle. Understanding the traffic light labelling system plays a pivotal role in this.
For those already living with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, the traffic light system will also prove very helpful in the daily management of their intake and again, empowers them in the food choices they make.
This year we are working in partnership with Tesco so if anyone would like further information about healthy eating alternatives and understanding the traffic light system then pop into your local Tesco store or visit our website: www.diabetes.org.uk for more information."
G8 plans for 3Ts but work continues for 4Ts
As the G8 world leaders have been discussing the importance of the 3Ts which are tax, trade and transparency, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland has been focusing on the 4Ts.
The 4Ts are vital in the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people. They are:
Going to the toilet a lot, bed wetting by a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies
Being really thirsty and not being able to quench the thirst
Feeling more tired then usual
Losing weight or looking thinner than usual
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland National Director, Iain Foster said:
"Whilst the 3Ts of Tax, Trade and Transparency discussed at the G8 meeting in Northern Ireland are very important issues, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland has been campaigning hard for recognition for the 4Ts.
Diabetes in Northern Ireland is a growing problem and we cannot afford to ignore it. We continue to engage with our politicians to ensure that diabetes remains on the agenda and give families living with diabetes a voice to those who can help them.
Dealing with a diagnosis of diabetes can seem like an uphill struggle, it can be especially difficult with Type 1 diabetes in children and young people. Often children and young people can feel isolated from their peer group and have to learn to manage their condition in a way that doesn't interfere with just enjoying their childhood.
We all have a responsibility to be informed about diabetes and at Diabetes UK Northern Ireland we are committed to providing a service to talk about diabetes, to task legislators to aid targeted health provision and to treat diabetes with the seriousness it deserves."
Tesco stores in Northern Ireland gear up for major new charity partnership with Diabetes UK
Iain Foster, National Director at Diabetes UK Northern Ireland joins Jean Cardy, (centre) Community Champion and Nora Armour, Store Manager at Tesco Extra Knocknagoney to launch Tesco's major new partnership
Tesco has announced a major new charity partnership with Diabetes UK to help create a healthier future for people in Northern Ireland and across the UK affected by diabetes or at risk of developing it.
The partnership follows the recent announcement that the number of people living with diabetes in Northern Ireland has reached 75,837- a rise of 33% in the last 5 years compared to just 25% in England, 20% in Wales and 18% in Scotland. It also comes as the total number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has reached three million for the first time.
The partnership will see Tesco, its customers, staff and suppliers aim to raise £10 million across the UK, the biggest donation ever pledged to the charity.
Part of this funding will be spent on pioneering research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes – the type not linked to lifestyle or weight – that offers real hope for thousands of children and adults across the globe for a future without this type of the condition.
The partnership will also fund the biggest ever public awareness campaign on Type 2 diabetes risk factors, aiming to reach the estimated seven million people across the UK at high risk of developing the condition. Money raised by Tesco customers and employees will also pay for a series of Living with Diabetes Days that will give people with Type 2 diabetes the information they need to manage the condition.
Iain Foster, National Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, said: “I am delighted that Tesco has chosen Diabetes UK as its National Charity Partner, as this will make a real difference in curbing the rise in the condition by funding the biggest ever public health campaign on risk factors and symptoms of Type 2 diabetes. “Crucially, research into a future without Type 1 diabetes is at an extremely exciting point and so there is a real chance that the millions of pounds of new research the partnership will fund could make the breakthrough that leads to a future without this type of the condition, a lasting legacy for the partnership and for children and adults worldwide.
“With a total of 71 local outlets, Tesco stores in Northern Ireland will play a major role in reaching the £10 million target and creating a much better level of awareness about diabetes. I look forward to working with Tesco customers, suppliers and staff as well our army of volunteers and supporters to make this partnership a major success.”
Rebecca Shelley, Group Corporate Affairs Director at Tesco, said: “Diabetes affects thousands of families and communities in Northern Ireland and as the latest statistics reveal, the number of people with this condition is increasing. “Thanks to this important partnership, we have the opportunity to inspire our colleagues and customers to come together, raise awareness and much needed funds to help the millions of people with diabetes right across the UK.
“From helping our customers take action to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes through in-store risk assessments, to investing in groundbreaking research, we’ll be using our scale to support everyone affected by, and at risk of diabetes.”
Funds raised by the partnership will help fund the following initiatives throughout the UK:
• Pioneering research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes, offering real hope for thousands of children and adults across the globe for a future without this type of the condition.
• The partnership will also fund the biggest ever public awareness campaign on Type 2 diabetes risk factors aiming to reach the estimated seven million people at high risk.
• Through risk assessments available to customers in our pharmacies, we will help to identify some of the 850,000 people who have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
• The partnership aims to provide information and advice to almost a million people with Type 2 diabetes and will also fund a series of “Living with Diabetes” days around the UK that will help people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes understand how to best manage their condition. To find out if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes, go to www.diabetes.org.uk/riskscore .
1 in 4 children left seriously ill as vital diabetes symptoms are missed
Clara McDevitt (8) and Josh Todd (5) helping to promote awareness of the 4 Ts: Toilet, Thirsty, Tired, Thinner
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland is warning that much more must be done to create awareness of the seriousness of Type 1 diabetes and the fact that 1 in 4 children and young people are becoming dangerously ill with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) before a diagnosis is made due to vital symptoms not being spotted.
The announcement comes as the charity launches its new Children and Young Person’s Campaign today at Stormont which aims to tackle the biggest problems faced by young people with Type 1 diabetes and their families over the next 5 years. The first phase of the campaign, entitled The 4 Ts of Diabetes, focuses on creating awareness of the four main symptoms of Type 1 diabetes- Toilet, Thirsty, Tired, Thinner- among parents, carers, teachers and healthcare professionals.
There are around 1,038 children under the age of 17 living with Type 1 diabetes in Northern Ireland and almost 1 in 4 of these reached DKA before a diagnosis was made. DKA can develop quickly and occurs when a severe lack of insulin upsets the body’s normal chemical balance and causes it to produce poisonous chemicals known as ketones. If undetected, these ketones can result in serious illness, coma and even death.
Iain Foster, National Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland said “It’s a scary fact that too many of our children are ending up seriously ill in hospital as a result of missed symptoms or mis-diagnosis. With DKA the child has gone from feeling a bit off colour to very unwell in a short space of time and it is imperative that we try and prevent this. As well as creating awareness among parents and indeed all those who come into contact with children, we will be working with healthcare professionals to ensure that they too are more alert to the symptoms and that the right tests are carried out when a child presents with any one of them. By doing so we hope that more cases of Type 1 diabetes will be diagnosed before DKA develops.”
The most common symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people are going to the toilet a lot, bedwetting in a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies, being very thirsty and not being able to quench that thirst, feeling very tired and losing weight or looking thinner than usual.
Case study: Kathryn and Sarah Cooney
Kathryn Cooney from Lisburn is one of 40 parents joining Diabetes UK Northern Ireland at Stormont today (Wednesday) to launch the campaign and raise awareness of the 4 Ts of Type 1 diabetes among MLA’s and healthcare representatives. Kathryn’s daughter, Sarah (now 14) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, aged 9, and ended up critically ill with DKA before she received her diagnosis. Kathryn admits she had no knowledge of diabetes and its symptoms before Sarah was diagnosed.
“In the week leading up to Sarah’s diagnosis she was drinking loads of water- glass after glass- and she was going to the toilet a lot; even getting up in the middle of the night. She was exhausted and generally not in good form, but I put this down to her just being back at school after the busy Christmas holidays.
“On the Saturday Sarah started to complain of a sore tummy. I asked all the usual questions- ‘when was the last time you went to the toilet?’, ‘are you hungry?’ etc, but as I didn’t think it was serious, I didn’t want to bother the out of hours doctor- something I have regretted ever since. By that evening, Sarah still had a sore tummy and by this stage was drinking litres of water. She came into my room on Sunday morning and I will never forget it- she looked like someone had sucked everything from under her skin and just left her bones! She was white with big black circles around her eyes. You’d think that at this stage alarm bells would have rung, but I still didn’t want to bother the out of hours doctor so I gave her more calpol and let her sleep on the sofa for most of the day.
“On the Monday morning we got an emergency appointment with our doctor and she suggested it could be a kidney infection...or diabetes. She gave us a prescription for antibiotics and sent us to the treatment room to get bloods taken. While we were there, the nurse happened to test Sarah’s blood glucose and it showed a very high reading so we were sent to A&E immediately. The whole way there Sarah was drifting in and out of a sleepy coma- I thought she was going to die in the back of my car. The next few hours were a bit of a blur as the medical team tried to get Sarah stabilised. She was in DKA but eventually, after an anxious wait; she was finally transferred to the ward. She was still so weak and weighed just 4 stone.
“Stupidly I thought the doctors were going to give us a tablet to make her better and send us home- I knew nothing about diabetes or the impact it would have on our lives. Had I known the signs and symptoms of diabetes, it may have alerted me a lot earlier and perhaps Sarah wouldn’t have been so ill when she was diagnosed. I can’t blame the doctors for not diagnosing her earlier as it was me who didn’t realise her symptoms were linked to the condition.
“On a positive note, all of my friends and family now know the symptoms of diabetes and when my best friend’s daughter started drinking lots of water, she brought her to the doctor straight away and following a blood glucose test, she too was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but thankfully as a result of spotting the signs, her story ended much better than ours.
“Sarah and I are backing Diabetes UK’s campaign because it’s so important that parents are educated in the signs and symptoms of diabetes. We all know the symptoms of meningitis and other childhood illnesses so hopefully through this campaign, more of us will be aware of Type 1 diabetes too.”
Northern Ireland sees highest rise in diabetes in UK
Diabetes UK Northern Ireland has warned of the continuing growth of diabetes here as figures collected this month revealed the number of people living with Type 1 and type 2 diabetes has increased by 33% in Northern Ireland during the last five years compared to just 25% in England, 20% in Wales and 18% in Scotland.*
The total number of adults with diabetes aged 17 and over registered with GPs here is 75,837 and a further 1,038 young people under 17 are known to have Type 1 diabetes; another significant rise. Prevalence in the Northern Ireland population is now over 4%. There are also an estimated 10,000 people also have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.
Iain Foster, National Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland said: “Given that Northern Ireland has the smallest population of all the other UK nations, these statistics are very worrying and we must take urgent steps to ensure that they don’t continue to escalate further. Diabetes is a rising challenge within our health service and it is vital that an effective strategy is put in place to ensure we do not see a similar increase in the next five years.
“Diabetes and its complications are putting a huge strain on resources within our health service and as cuts continue to be made across all Trusts, the multi-disciplinary teams treating diabetes are becoming increasingly less equipped to meet the demand of patients and provide the necessary education for effective self-management."
Type 2 diabetes is often, but not always, linked to lifestyle factors and in many cases the condition can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables but low in fat, sugar and salt. However, Type 1 is also on the increase and is a serious condition that develops when the body cannot produce any insulin. The cause of Type 1 diabetes is still unknown but it has no link to lifestyle and therefore cannot be prevented.
The main symptoms of diabetes include urinating frequently especially at night, increased thirst, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of cuts and wounds, and blurred vision.
* All data collected from GMS Contract, Quality and Outcomes Framework for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.
Big success for Diabetes Week 2012
Diabetes Week 2012 took place from 10 to 16 June and events took place all over Northern Ireland throughout the week to create awareness about diabetes, its symptoms and complications. The theme of this year’s Diabetes Week was Making the Connection and the foot campaign was once again the focus of much of the activity. A number of events helped to highlight the importance of good foot care when living with diabetes.
Diabetes Week at Stormont
Pictured at the Diabetes Week launch at Stormont are (l-r) Colin Holmes, Iain Foster and Health Minister Edwin Poots
Health Minister, Edwin Poots launched Diabetes Week at Stormont on Monday 11 June and almost one hundred people attended the event including health care professionals, MLAs and members of Diabetes Voices. The audience heard from a number of key speakers working in the multi-disciplinary field of diabetic foot care including cardiovascular surgeon for the Belfast Trust, Bernard Lee and Principal Podiatrist for the Belfast Trust, Kim Martin. Guests also heard a very poignant account from Colin Holmes, a 57 year old former solicitor who lost both legs to amputation as a result of Type 1 diabetes.
As well as the speakers, SDLP MLA, Pat Ramsey hosted the launch of a special report by pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, entitled Diabetes in Northern Ireland: the human, social and economic challenge.
In a separate event held at Stormont on Wednesday 13 June, SDLP MLA, Conall McDevitt hosted a small event entitled a showcase of specialisms in diabetes for 30 invited guests. The audience heard from a variety of healthcare professionals and the mother of a young girl who has received an insulin pump and whose life has been totally transformed as a result. A number of MLAs supported the event including Deputy-Chair of Health Committee, Jim Wells.
Charity partners and volunteers creating awareness
Thank-you to charity partner Translink who were very active in supporting this year’s Diabetes Week. They produced some excellent literature and posters and held several awareness events at bus and train stations across Northern Ireland. They also worked with their own staff, many of whom have diabetes themselves, to create awareness of the symptoms of diabetes and volunteers from Diabetes UK carried out risk assessment for staff at Translink’s bus stations in Omagh and Derry.
Boots also supported Diabetes Week by having an awareness stand in their flagship store in Belfast and offering advice to customers.
Volunteers from Diabetes UK also attended a number of events throughout the week including a pharmacy awareness event in Bannside Pharmacy Portglenone and a Keep well, Keep Safe event in Armagh City Hotel.
Fundraising
A big thank-you to Colin Finley who organised a sponsored canoe challenge from Spelga Dam to Castlerock during Diabetes Week. Colin, his brother David and some of their friends- all of whom were canoeing novices- completed the brave challenge in just 4 days and received wide support from their local communities.
Thank-you to everyone who supported this year’s Diabetes Week. Click here to download the press release and find out more about the Foot campaign.