7700 living in the dark over illness

MORE than 7000 people in the Lothians are suffering from diabetes without knowing it.

Expanding waistlines, poor diets and a lack of exercise are making more men and women vulnerable to the potentially fatal condition.

New figures from the Scottish Diabetes Survey have revealed the Lothians is a hotspot, with 7760 undiagnosed cases, second only to the Argyll and Clyde region in Scotland.

If left untreated, type-two diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.

Now Diabetes UK Scotland has launched a campaign to raise awareness among the public.

It wants people to be able to identify the condition as early as possible and is encouraging them to adopt more healthy lifestyles in order to avoid it.

Audrey Birt, director of Diabetes UK Scotland, said: "Type-two diabetes is the biggest health challenge of our time. We need to take collective and individual responsibility for this devastating issue, which means government must work with all sections of society to enable them to live healthier lives.

"If screening were rolled out Scotland-wide, we could potentially identify 60,000 people who are undiagnosed or at increased risk of developing the condition. The earlier people are diagnosed, the earlier they can get on with managing the condition and reduce their risk of developing complications.

"Diabetes can lead to death from heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, or result in complications such as blindness and amputation of lower limbs.

"In Scotland, over 40 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes and there are tens of thousands who remain undiagnosed. Most of these are cases of type-two diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity and has reached epidemic proportions across the world."

Special gym classes and a nurse-led clinic for teenagers are among new initiatives being used by NHS Lothian to help people with diabetes.

The schemes were highlighted by the latest annual report for NHS Lothian's special network of experts in diabetes care. More than 29,000 people in Lothian are diagnosed with the condition.

Exercise is extremely important for people with diabetes, and a special class at Edinburgh's Gracemount Leisure Centre has proved to be extremely popular.

My vision got blurry so I went to see the doctor
MARILYNE JACKSON had no reason to believe she was threatened with diabetes. She was not overweight and lived a healthy lifestyle.

So when she started suffering from tiredness and dehydration, it was not surprising she did not recognise the cause of the symptoms straight away.

Fortunately, with diabetes sufferers in the family, it did not take too long for her condition to come to light.

The 55-year-old, of Warrender Park Crescent, said: "I had been very tired for a long time and had put it down to being a single parent working full-time.

"I was getting thirsty and getting up to pee during the night, and I thought maybe I had been drinking too much.

"Then my vision started getting blurry so I went to see an optician and then the doctor."

The doctor told her to pack an overnight bag and head for the ERI because her blood-sugar levels were so high. Now, despite having to follow a fairly rigorous programme of injecting insulin four times a day, her health and quality of life has improved dramatically.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
WARNING signs for diabetes include frequent urination, as the kidneys become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood, which keeps the sufferer running to the bathroom.

This leads to dehydration, and means another symptom is a seemingly unquenchable thirst as the body tries to replace the water being lost.

Blood cells can become energy-starved as a result of diabetes, meaning sufferers often feel weak or fatigued.

Blurred vision, dry or itchy skin, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal are also early warning signs to watch for.

Over time, sufferers may also notice a symptom called neuropathy, which is caused by damage to the nervous system and is a tiring or numbness in hands and feet.