Diabetes UK 'Measure Up' roadshow at Oul Lammas Fair

Diabetes UK staff will be offering free diabetes risk assessment tests which look at a number of factors in order to determine how at risk you are of getting diabetes and what can be done to reduce this risk.

The Measure Up campaign also encourages people to measure their waists to see if they are at risk of Type 2 diabetes, as having a large waist means you are up to 12 times more likely to develop diabetes.

There are approximately 750 people estimated to have diabetes in the Moyle District Council area. If untreated, the condition can lead to fatal complications such as amputation, blindness, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Type 2 diabetes can be undetected for up to 12 years which means that around half of people already have complications by the time they are diagnosed. It is estimated that a total of 12,500 people have diabetes in Northern Ireland but are unaware of it.

There are 2.2 million people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK and another 500,000 who have the condition but don’t know. I would urge everyone to visit one of Diabetes UK’s roadshows this year to discover if they could be one of those 500,000 and to find out more about diabetes.

It is a serious condition and if untreated can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke and blindness. The sooner people are diagnosed, the sooner they can start treating their diabetes and help reduce the risk of developing these devastating complications.”

At risk waist measurements are 37 inches or more for men, except those of South Asian origin who are at risk at 35 inches or more, and 31.5 inches or more for all women.

Other risk factors include being aged over 40, or 25 for people of Black and South Asian origin, or having a family history of Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK recommends that anyone with two or more risk factors should come along to the Roadshow in Ballycastle and get your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes assessed.

The symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst, passing urine frequently, extreme tiredness, weight loss and blurred vision. Anyone experiencing symptoms who think they may have diabetes should visit their GP as soon as they can.