In Catalonia there are around 560,000 people with diabetes, a disease that has an 8 % prevalence in 15 or more years, which increases with age, so that in the group of more than 65 years it is 21.1 %.
As reported by the Department of Health in a statement, taking the data of the 2011 Health Survey, in older adults diabetes attacks men more than women, with figures that reveal 24.8 % and 18, 3 %, respectively.
For experts, this increase is due to the high prevalence of risk factors linked to the appearance of diabetes, such as obesity and sedentary lifestyle, in addition to the increase in life expectancy and mortality reduction.
Diabetes mellitus is a growing problem in both developed countries and those in development.
Currently, type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, but experts investigate environmental factors that can contribute to the destruction of insulin producing cells;While type 2 diabetes, the most frequent, can be prevented if people at risk maintain adequate weight and practice physical activity regularly.
Today the World Diabetes Day is celebrated under the motto "Take care and protect your future", which seeks to raise awareness about the growing prevalence of this disease.
To highlight the importance of early diagnosis and health education, more than twenty delegations of the Association of Diabetics of Catalonia will organize various activities such as workshops, informative tables, walks, among others, to commemorate the day.