UK diabetics get guidelines for care

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Guidelines for British diabetics lay down the standard of treatment they should receive to avoid potentially fatal complications from the disease. An estimated 1.4 million people in Britain suffer from diabetes but many are not getting the best treatment. Another one million Britons have the disease but are not aware of it.

Diabetes UK, a national charity for sufferers, issued the guidelines to raise awareness and understanding among patients and doctors.

"Patients are getting a terrible standard of services because of a big barrier of ignorance and misunderstanding of diabetes. They need to tackle this ignorance," Benet Middleton, a spokesman for Diabetes UK, said in a telephone interview.

The guidelines include an explanation of the disease, statutory rights of patients, types of care available and a medical checklist.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which sufferers do not metabolize glucose efficiently because of a deficiency or lack of insulin. If their blood sugar levels are too low they can go into a coma.

If the levels are too high it can cause blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney problems and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.

Diet and, in more serious cases, daily insulin injections are used to control the condition but there is no cure.

"At the heart of the problem in the UK is a lack of basic awareness and understanding of diabetes by health professionals and the general public alike," Paul Streets, chief executive of the charity, said in a statement.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Spike in diabetes, especially among the young
November 6, 2000
Diabetes patients, researchers temper hope for quick cure
August 14, 2000
Diabetes joins list of heart disease risk factors
September 02, 1999
Cause of type-I diabetes found, researchers say
August 30, 1999

American Diabetes Association
Diabetes Action Research & Education Foundation
Patient resources : Diabetes
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.