Diabetes UK healthcare and research charity has announced holding a free event at Crawley Mosque in London on July 19 to raise public awareness about the risks of Type 2 diabetes, and ways of prevention against it, Crawley Observer reports.
“I invited Diabetes UK to come along to the mosque to hold the event in order to raise awareness about diabetes among the local Muslim community,” informed Chairman of the mosque and lay member for Patient and Public Engagement at Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group, Arif Syed.
The free event will be open to everyone, yet due to the scientific fact that Type 2 diabetes is genetically two to four times more likely in people of South Asian, African-Caribbean, and Black African ethnicities, those citizens and residents descending from these ethnic groups are especially encouraged to attend.
“This is an important event for people in the area to attend and assess their risk of Type 2 diabetes. We hope there will be a good turnout to the event as it’s taking place during Friday prayers,” the mosque’s chairman said.
Syed himself was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes two years ago, joining the 90% of 450,000 people across the southeast of London with the same condition.
On his behalf, Jill Steaton, regional head for Diabetes UK in the South East region said: “Unless we act, and urgently, diabetes prevalence will continue to rise.”
The cells of people with Type 2 diabetes fail to respond to insulin properly. The main risk factors include being overweight, family history and ethnic background, in addition to being over the age of 25 with low-exercise lifestyle, and often there can be no signs of it.
Diabetes mellitus, in general, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger.
If left untreated, diabetes can cause acute complications like diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, or even death. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, and damage to the eyes.
Type 1 diabetes results from the pancreas’s failure to produce enough insulin. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes begins with insulin resistance but as the disease progresses, a lack of insulin may also develop.
As of 2017, an estimated 425 million people had diabetes worldwide, with type 2 diabetes making up about 90% of the cases. This represents 8.8% of the adult population. In 2017, diabetes resulted in approximately 3.2 to 5.0 million deaths.