National Diabetes Week runs from 8 July to 14 July 2018. Diabetes Australia’s It’s About Time campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and early treatment for all types of diabetes.
Too many Australians are being diagnosed with diabetes too late. This is true for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Over 600 people end up in hospital emergency rooms each year very sick, and then find out they have type 1 diabetes.
Make sure you know the 4 Ts of type 1 diabetes:
- Thirsty – are you really thirsty and unable to quench that thirst?
- Toilet – are you going to the toilet a lot?
- Tired – are you more tired than usual?
- Thinner – have you recently lost weight?
If you see these signs you should talk to your doctor straight away.
“It’s About Time” we detected all types of diabetes earlier and save lives.
“It’s About Time” we detected silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. People may have type 2 diabetes for up to seven years before it is diagnosed. During this time type 2 diabetes may be damaging your blood vessels and nerves and causing vision loss, amputations, heart attacks, stroke and kidney damage.
Diabetes Australia is encouraging all Australians to assess their type 2 diabetes risk by taking a quick online risk assessment. You can assess your risk here.
You can also visit www.myhealthtest.com to find out about taking a diabetes blood test from the convenience of your own home. They are giving away up to 1,000 free tests for National Diabetes Week.