A report from the NHS Information Centre suggests that up to a third of all diabetes related deaths could be avoided by better management of the condition.
Diabetes prevents the body from using glucose properly and can cause kidney failure or heart failure if it is not managed properly. It affects over 2 million people in the UK and it is estimated that a third of people who have the disease do not know that they have it.
The report indicated that there are approximately 75,000 deaths from diabetes every year, and out of these, approximately 24,000 are considered avoidable. The majority of the avoidable deaths occur in people over the age of 65.
Type 1 diabetes carries a greater risk of death than type 2 diabetes and although more deaths occur in people over the age of 65, the actual risk of dying from diabetes is much higher in younger people.
The report suggested that a third of the deaths could have been avoided if with better management of the patients conditions, including basic health checks from the patients doctors and patients maintaining a healthy diet and taking their medication.
Diabetes UK suggested that the figures were alarming and indicated that it was vital that diabetes sufferers had top quality care.
Barbara Young from Diabetes UK said: “It is imperative we take action now to stop even more lives being needlessly cut short. We will be holding the NHS to account wherever it fails to deliver high-quality care.”
