Diabetes, which is associated with a number of debilitating complications affecting the eyes, heart, kidneys, nerves and feet, is set to affect almost 700 million people by 2045. Over 350 million adults are currently at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form of the disease. If current trends continue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as one in three adults could have the disease by 2050.

The prevalence of prediabetes is increasing worldwide and it is projected that more than 470 million people will have prediabetes in 2030. Prediabetes is a condition marked by above-normal blood sugar levels that aren't high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. It is associated with the simultaneous presence of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction, abnormalities that start before glucose changes are detectable. Observational evidence shows associations of prediabetes with early forms of nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, small fibre neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and increased risk of macrovascular disease.

The evidence is strong. Diabetes prevention efforts work. Both randomized clinical trials and real world implementation studies have proven that structured lifestyle change programs can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by 60% in people with prediabetes. Without moderate weight loss and increased physical activity, 15 to 30 percent of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

What we would like to hear from you in this discussion:

1. How do you address prevention in your practice?

2. What do your patients work to prevent: Prediabetes? Diabetes? Complications of Diabetes?

3. What strategies have been the most effective?

4. What strategies have worked in high risk underserved communities?

5. What prevention measures do you model to your patients/clients?

6. As a person living with type 2 diabetes, have you been addressed by your health care professional about the risk for developing diabetes? What did your HCP tell you to do to avoid it?

7. In overweight individuals, a 5% to 7% weight loss significantly improves their chances of avoiding diabetes. Living a healthy lifestyle takes some thought and effort. How much effort are you willing to put in to prevent diabetes? What sort of support would help you succeed?

Website recommended for more information

The IDF School of Diabetes has a free online module (EACCME): Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
https://www.idf.org/news/93:idf-launches-partnership-with-merck-to-help-address-the-global-type-2-diabetes-epidemic.html

Reference reading:

https://www.diabetesprevention.pitt.edu/index.php/for-the-public/diabetes-prevention-program-dpp/
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/research-areas/diabetes/diabetes-prevention-program-dpp
https://www.idf.org/news/94:new-idf-figures-show-continued-increase-in-diabetes-across-the-globe,-reiterating-the-need-for-urgent-action.html

Information about the discussion leader

Lisa Duke, MPH, MCHES, CDE is a Certified Diabetes Educator with more than 10 years’ experience working with people in both clinical and community settings who want to prevent diabetes, and with those who have diabetes, to improve their condition in the US. She has extensive experience working in maternal child survival in sub-Saharan Africa (Central African Republic, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, and Mali), Indonesia and in the US.