Diabetes and Its Complications

World Diabetes Day is designated on November 14 every year. In the past five years, the focus of the World Diabetes Day had been on the prevention and control of the complications of diabetes. The theme this year is "Diabetes Care for Everyone".

Worldwide there are more than 200 million people suffering from diabetes and in Hong Kong, diabetes is also a common chronic disease:

• According to the Population Health Survey 2003/04 by the Department of Health, 3.7% of men aged 15 or above were diagnosed with diabetes.
• In 2005, diabetes ranked the ninth among the top killer diseases with more than 600 deaths, around 41% of which were in men.

Diabetes poses a heavy health burden on our society. Projection of results from a study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and United Christian Hospital in 2004 indicated that diabetes might incur a financial cost of over 10 billion dollars to our society in 2006. These costs could be direct or indirect, such as those arising from hospitalization and treatment, loss of productivity, and premature retirement.

Complications of diabetes are potentially serious, and even life-threatening if not properly treated and managed, such as:

• heart attack
• stroke
• renal failure
• infected and unhealed wounds, especially in the feet, which may require surgical intervention such as amputation
• blindness
• impotence

The risks of suffering from diabetes and its complications can be reduced through healthy lifestyle, good self care and regular check-ups:

• Healthy lifestyle
  • healthy diet with low sugar and high fibre content
  • regular and adequate exercise
  • weight control
  • adequate rest and dealing with stress properly
• Good self care and regular check-ups
  • take prescribed medications regularly
  • good foot care and foot check-up
  • proper wound care
  • regular eye examination
  • regular blood tests

For further information on diabetes, please visit the relevant section of our website, or that in the Central Health Education Unit website of the Department of Health.

(Last Updated on 14-11-2006)