Perhaps as many as 70,000 Irish people suffer from noninsulin dependent diabetes without their knowledge, and put themselves at risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and amputations, a medical conference has been told.
Speaking at the Irish Diabetic Association conference at the weekend, Prof Gerald Tomkin said "non-insulin dependent diabetes, or Type II diabetes, goes undiagnosed for an average of seven years. The consultant diabetologist and IDA chairman stressed the importance of early diagnosis.
A typical person with diabetes would have one or more of the following attributes: be over 40 years old, overweight, have a history of heart disease or a family history of diabetes.