News From the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 20th World Diabetes Congress
October 18 TO 22
Montreal

IDF President Calls for Concerted Action to Stop Diabetes Epidemic
Newly published data from the IDF show that the number of people with diabetes continues to grow unchecked. The figures reveal that, if action is not taken to change the path of the epidemic, the numbers of people with diabetes will be close to 440 million by 2030. At a press conference held at the close of IDF’s 20th World Diabetes Congress, President Jean Claude Mbanya of Cameroon voiced his concern at the figures."

“We have just released the dismal news that some 285 million people live with diabetes today. Our data show that the low- and middle-income countries, where four out of every five people with diabetes will soon to be found, are bearing the brunt of the disease. The men and women most affected are of working age—the breadwinners of their families. Diabetes is now a development issue that threatens to undermine economies.”

Dr. Mbanya said that two burning issues in diabetes care will define his term of office. First, the need to ensure that people with diabetes receive the quality of care and informed instruction they need to best manage their disease and avoid its complications and, second, the need to stop people from developing diabetes in the first place.

The IDF President stressed the need to increase access to diabetes education so that people living with the disease can play an informed and central role in their own care, according to a news release.

“From the global perspective, many people with diabetes can find themselves alone on a path that can lead them towards complications, depression and early death. We will need to increase awareness and deliver health education to make sure that diabetes is detected early and to make sure that the newly diagnosed are guided along a path of treatment and informed self-care that empowers them to avoid or delay the potentially devastating consequences of the disease.”

IDF Releases Guidelines Seeking to Improve Diabetes Treatment Worldwide
The IDF Global Guideline on Pregnancy and Diabetes aims to set a global standard for the care of gestational diabetes and people with diabetes who become pregnant. Gestational diabetes is common and, like obesity and type 2 diabetes, is increasing in frequency throughout the world. The risk of developing diabetes after gestational diabetes is very high.¹

“This is the first [IDF] guideline on pregnancy. It is an important issue for IDF to address because of the growing number of women this now affects worldwide,” said Stephen Colagiuri, MD, Chair of the IDF Task Force on Clinical Guidelines and professor of metabolic health at the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Sydney in Australia.

IDF also released new Guidelines on Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Non-Insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes and Oral Health for People With Diabetes Guideline. “Both these guidelines cover important but often neglected areas of diabetes care,” said Dr Colaguiri.

The IDF Oral Health for People With Diabetes Guideline recommends a focus on clinical care for people with diabetes, integrating not only diabetes, but oral health professionals. Poor oral health can negatively impact the lives of people living with diabetes and they need to be educated on how to not only manage their diabetes but their oral health. The guideline joins a list of IDF guidelines addressing cores needs in diabetes.

The IDF Guidelines on Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Non-Insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes provides recommendations for people with diabetes and their health care professionals. Type 2 diabetes is responsible for 85% to 95% of all diabetes, and this guideline recommends that self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) should be considered an ongoing part of diabetes self-management education. Another of its key recommendations is that SMBG protocols should be individualized to address each individual’s specific educational/ behavioral/clinical requirements and provider requirements for data on glycemic patterns and to monitor impact of therapeutic decision-making.