500,000 Australians may have diabetes and not even know it. The age of onset of type 2 diabetes is getting younger, leading to a greater risk of complications like heart attacks, strokes and amputations.
Research at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital found that 34% of patients had diabetes. Five percent of those patients had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes that was only discovered through the research.
Diabetes Australia chief executive Greg Johnson describes the research as ‘a wake-up call to the Australian community and our health system’.
There were approximately one million diabetes-related hospital admissions in Australia last year. With half-a-million Australians unaware they have the condition, this number looks likely to increase. Many of these people do not believe they are at risk because they fell they live a healthy lifestyle, eat well and exercise regularly.
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