Guidelines On How To Avoid UNC2881 Mishaps

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious chronic condition that affects approximately 7% of adults in Australia, and in the coming decade, this number is expected to significantly increase.1 Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of DM, and the public health implications arising from DM and DR are significant, especially as estimates indicate that half of those with DM are yet to be diagnosed.1 More than 240 million individuals worldwide suffer from DM,2 and DR is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population in most UNC2881 developed countries.3 In Australia alone, health expenditure associated with diabetes (2000�C2001) was estimated at AUD$784 million, with DR accounting for a substantial component of this expenditure.4 The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study (AusDiab) found that the prevalence of DR in individuals with long-standing DM (20?years or more) was greater than 50%.5 The treatment and management strategies for DR are well-established, with blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure (BP) control being the major risk factors.6�C9 However, behavioural, social and lifestyle risk factors have also been shown to be significantly associated with the development of DR.10 Nonetheless, the proportion of patients with DR meeting the guidelines for optimal diabetes control remains low.11 Our recent pilot study involving adults with diabetes showed that only 15.3% of patients had adequate glucose control, and less than 15% displayed good BP levels.12,13 In addition, their awareness of diabetes management was poor with only 22% correctly identifying the ideal BP range and