Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus
On September 14, 2005, at the Congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released the first evidence-based global guideline for type II diabetes.
The global guideline recommends keeping blood glucose levels (HbA1c) below 6.5% in order to minimize the risk of complications and provides clear recommendations on patient education, patient self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, and the aggressive use of medications and insulin to achieve target levels. The guidelines also suggest cost-effective ways to detect problems in the eyes, kidneys, and feet if preventive measures fail, so that proven treatments can be initiated as early as possible.
The global guideline was developed by leading diabetes experts in the IDF's coverage area, including representatives from countries and regions at very different stages of economic development. The guidelines can be ordered from the International Diabetes Federation's Web site or obtained from the IDF booth at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Athens, Greece.
The 17th International Diabetes Federation Congress closed on the 10th. More than 10,000 doctors and specialists from 127 countries, including China, discussed and exchanged views on the latest trends and research results in the fields of diabetes prevention, medical costs, education and scientific research during the six days.
De Alba, former president of the International Diabetes Federation, noted that diabetes is now the fifth leading cause of death in the world. In the last five years, the incidence of diabetes in the world has been growing at an alarming rate of 11 percent per year, and 150 million people are now suffering from diabetes. The number of patients is expected to reach 300 million by 2025.
Alberty, the newly elected president, pointed out that the incidence and prevention of diabetes in developing countries is particularly critical. Untimely detection, lack of insulin supply, poor treatment conditions and excessive medical costs are more serious. He predicted that the incidence of diabetes in developing countries will increase rapidly at a rate of about 42% per year over the next 10 years, and that the peak of the world's diabetes incidence will be in Asia by 2010. He said that during his term of office in the next three years, the International Diabetes Federation will pay great attention to the trend of diabetes in developing countries and call on governments to pay attention to diabetes prevention and awareness.
The Congress also decided that the 18th FIDA Congress will be held in Paris, France in 2003. The International Diabetes Federation was founded in 1950 and currently has 172 member organizations in 132 countries around the world.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwire) -- 10/23/09 -- Newly released data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) show that the number of people with diabetes continues to grow. The figures suggest that the number of people with diabetes will approach 440 million by 2030 if no action is taken to stop the spread. At a press conference held after the International Diabetes Federation's 20th World Diabetes Congress, Mr. Jean Claude Mbanya from Cameroon, president of the IDF, expressed his concern about the figures. "We have just released the bad news that about 285 million people now have diabetes worldwide. Our figures show that low- and middle-income countries are bearing the brunt, with 4/5 of those with diabetes to be found. The people most affected are those men and women of working age - who are the main source of income for their respective families. Diabetes is now a development issue that has threatened the economic base of countries."
The World Health Organization estimates that India and China will consume about $900 billion of national income between 2005 and 2015 to treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease.The IDF predicts that diabetes will cost the world economy $376 billion in 2010, and an additional $100 billion within a generation.
Prof Mbanya, who appeared in a BBC documentary on the burden of diabetes in developing countries, said, "Families are losing their breadwinners, parents are losing their children, children are losing their mothers. And most of this catastrophic loss in life is preventable."
The documentary, titled "Bittersweet," is airing this week as part of a half-hour episode of the BBC World Service series "Sick or Cured. Filmed in Nairobi, Kenya, and Pune, India, it looks at the type 2 diabetes pandemic facing the South Asian subcontinent, while many African countries are struggling to provide insulin to people with type 1 diabetes.
Prof Mbanya added: "It is outrageous that while diabetes treatments and technologies have been available for a long time, the reality is that for millions of patients in low- and middle-income countries, modern treatments and technologies are still just a dream."
Happily, since 2010, the agency has begun to organize the promotion and application of some effective treatment technologies and means, such as China's Blue Circle Diabetes Therapeutic Instrument, which is inexpensive, efficient, and particularly effective in controlling diabetes complications with a unique effect. It makes it a reality for patients to use modern treatment.
IDF calls for increased funding for essential medicines and small, home-based medical devices such as the Blue Circle Diabetes Therapeutic Device, and calls on governments to put diabetes at the forefront of their national healthcare programs.