World Diabetes Day Focuses Attention On Improving Diagnosis, Treatment
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Allegheny Health Network Focuses Its ‘Eyes’ on World Diabetes Day
One of the messages of World Diabetes Day 2016 is “Eyes on Diabetes” in large part because it often leads to eye disease, including blindness if not caught early. And, with half of all adults living with undiagnosed diabetes, preventive screenings are crucial to ensure early diagnosis and treatment, thereby ensuring global population health and optimal health outcomes.
Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.
This year, the team of caregivers at Allegheny Health Network’s Center For Diabetes and Endocrine Health will join other healthcare providers around the world in observing World Diabetes Day to help accomplish that goal. According to IDF, more than 400 million adults globally are currently living with the disease, which is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputation. Over one third of all people currently living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes also will develop some form of vision impairment that can lead to blindness.
“Many people live with diabetes for a long period of time without knowing they have it,” said Patricia Bononi, MD, Medical Director, AHN Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Health. “In addition to encouraging healthy lifestyles to prevent diabetes, we urge people at high risk for the disease to undergo screening in effort to reduce complications of diabetes through earlier interventions.”
In observance of World Diabetes Day at AHN hospitals, free diabetes risk assessments and consultations with registered dieticians, pharmacists or certified diabetes educators were offered, and Dr. Bononi and Ellen Kraemer, Director, Diabetes Service Line, were featured on AHN’s KDKA-AM Radio “Medical Frontiers” show, discussing diabetes and answering listener questions regarding the disease.
WDD is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over one billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight. The campaign is represented by a blue circle logo that was adopted in 2007 after the passage of the UN Resolution on diabetes. It signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes epidemic.