A lack of awareness has sparked cause for concern around one of the leading health conditions in the UK, Type 2 diabetes, with 53% of people in Cardiff admitting to never having been tested to determine their risk.
Over 1 million adults in the UK, which could mean over 5,000 in Cardiff, that’s 2% of the population, may have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. So Lloyds Pharmacy is on a mission to help find those people who are at risk and undiagnosed through their free screening service and health campaign #TheMissingMillion. Lloyds Pharmacy is hosting a roadshow in Cardiff on Thursday 10th August 2017 where they will be offering free Type 2 diabetes screenings and the chance to get expert advice on managing your health to reduce your risk.
The lack of awareness will come as a surprise to the UK public. Nearly a quarter of Cardiff residents give themselves a solid 7 out of 10 when asked to rate their health. However, just 47% of the city have been tested previously for Type 2 diabetes, making the majority of people unaware of their risk.
Type 2 diabetes can strike at any time but a common misconception is that you are mainly at risk when you are over 50 years old. However, according to Lloyds Pharmacy’s data from the past twelve months, one in five of those who had a high or very high risk of Type 2 diabetes were aged under 50, indicating that people may need to consider their risks sooner than they think.
In total, one in 14 people tested by Lloyds Pharmacy in 2016 had a high or very high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.
A lack of awareness about the symptoms also exists in Cardiff. When questioned, 47% of people in Cardiff failed to correctly identify increased thirst as a symptom and just 12% knew that frequent episodes of thrush is a symptom. 29% incorrectly identified sugar cravings as a symptom of Type 2 diabetes and 3% incorrectly identified body odour as a symptom.
Lloyds Pharmacy pharmacist Varun Bitra commented, “Type 2 diabetes commonly hits around middle age but it can develop in people who are much younger, even children. If left untreated it can lead to serious health problems, but when identified early and correctly managed people can maintain their health well and even reverse the progression of the condition. Lloyds Pharmacy can help you to identify your risk by completing a simple questionnaire and, if necessary, measure your blood pressure and taking a very small finger-prick sample of blood to measure your blood glucose level.
So, pop down to Churchill Way in Cardiff to get your free health check.”
Lloyds Pharmacy is on a hunt to find #TheMissingMillion with roadshows around the country, where they are offering free Type 2 diabetes screenings and the chance to get expert advice on managing your health to reduce your risk. A roadshow will be hosted in Cardiff on Thursday 10th August 2017 at Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2HA.
Alternatively, people are encouraged to pop into their local Lloyds Pharmacy and ask for the free Type 2 diabetes screening in store.
For more information, please visit www.letstalkdiabetes.co.uk
