Diabetes at crisis levels in Australia

For every person that is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, there is a person that remains undiagnosed. —Cathy Freeman, retired Aboriginal athlete and type 2 diabetes sufferer during pregnancy [9]

Diabetes is a preventable and manageable disease. It is "out of control" [1] in Aboriginal communities with some experts fearing the disease could "wipe out" the Aboriginal population across the world by the end of the century.

30 years ago less than 0.5% of the Aboriginal population had diabetes [2]. Now almost 30% of adults in Aboriginal communities have type-2 diabetes [1, 3].

There are no exact figures on how many Aboriginal people are affected by diabetes so that estimates vary widely from 2 to 10 times higher numbers than among other Australians [4, 5]. The largest dialysis unit in the southern hemisphere is not in an Australian capital city, but in Alice Springs, nearly a fifth of whose 27,000 inhabitants are Aboriginal..

Diabetes complicates 20% of all pregnancies in Alice Springs [3]. Indigenous leaders and health experts fear that the town will soon have the highest rate of diabetes anywhere in the world.

The death rate from diabetes for Aboriginal people is 17 times higher than for non-Aboriginal people [6, 7], and diabetes begins at an earlier age [1, 7].

Diabetic retinopathy (non-inflammatory damage to the retina of the eye) is one of the leading preventable causes of blindness in Aboriginal Australians [2].

Diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease, end-stage kidney disease, loss of vision, limb amputation and death.

While diabetes is increasing across Australia's entire population, Indigenous people are more likely to contract the disease because of economic and social factors such as dispossession, access to fresh food, primary health care services and education.

In some communities many Aboriginal people have lost limbs to the disease.

Worldwide it is expected to affect close to 500 million people in 2030 and be the world's fourth leading cause of death behind cancer, heart disease and infectious diseases [5].

How to avoid diabetes?

A few simple things can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

• Lose weight if you are overweight. As little as 3 to 5% of your weight can make a difference.
• Monitor blood pressure and blood glucose level.
• Monitor cholesterol levels.
• Excercise.
• Eat fruits and vegetables.

My problem now is sugar diabetes and blood pressure. I don't have sugar in my tea. I've had this problem for a long time, since I've been in Onslow [town in WA]. When I was out in the bush I didn't have it. There are a lot of women here with this sort of problem, like me, and they get it when they come to live in town. —Judy July, Aboriginal woman [8]

Read more about diabetes on the site of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Out of respect for Aboriginal culture I use Indigenous sources as much as possible.
[1] 'Diabetes threatens Aborigine extinction', SMH 14/11/2006 [2] 'Saving gentle eyes', Koori Mail 487 p.53 [3] 'Diabetes crisis is forum target', Koori Mail 473 p.14 [4] 'Sugar Mob targets diabetes', Koori Mail 476 p.48 [5] '500 million to develop the disease', Koori Mail 489 p.17 [6] 'Program helps people take control of diabetes', Koori Mail 415 p.57 [7] 'Diabetes campaign on the airwaves', Koori Mail 505 p.71 [8] 'Karijini Mirlimirli', Noel Olive, Fremantle Arts Centre Press 1997 p.34 [9] 'She's out to beat diabetes', Koori Mail 515 p.3