In the next decade, the number of people in Saskatchewan diagnosed with diabetes will increase by 35 per cent. It’s estimated the number of people living with diabetes in Saskatchewan will grow to 100,000 in 2017, up from 97,000 in 2016.
In addition, a further 176,000 are expected to be living with prediabetes and another 43,000 living with undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is also a burden on the economy, costing Saskatchewan’s health-care system $99.8 million a year in direct costs including hospitalizations, doctor visits and inpatient medications.
A recent report from the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), Report on Diabetes in Saskatchewan, indicates that immediate changes are required to support people living with diabetes in the province. The report analyzes the latest data on diabetes in Saskatchewan, outlines critical areas of support needed and highlights stories of people living with diabetes in the province.
“Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in Canada, including right here in Saskatchewan,” said Brie Hnetka, regional director for Saskatchewan, CDA. “Not only is the number of people with diabetes growing, but so are the serious complications they experience such as heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and limb amputation. There is no mistaking the seriousness — diabetes is not only a personal crisis for individuals living with the disease and for their families, but for the province as well. That’s why it’s critical for government to take immediate action.”
Risk factors such as high rates of overweight and obesity in adults and youth, lack of physical activity and a healthy diet, and tobacco use among people in Saskatchewan will continue to drive Type 2 diabetes prevalence in the province. Approximately 57 per cent of adults and 20 per cent of youth are either overweight or obese.
The prevalence of most of these risk factors in the province remained consistently higher than the Canadian average over the past decade. Lifestyle is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but family history, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and environment also play a significant part. Given the large community of Indigenous Peoples in this province, diabetes and associated risk factors along with the lack of access to essential supports for healthy living demand attention.
The CDA’s report outlines three major areas of support needed to help those living with diabetes in the province:
1) Implement a standard provincial diabetes care pathway specifying the supports needed for optimal diabetes management, including a recruitment and retention strategy for endocrinologists, coordinated diabetes team-based care, and expansion of diabetes education centres;
2 Expand the financial coverage for insulin pumps and supplies to all individuals with type 1 diabetes who are medically eligible, regardless of age; and
3) Develop a policy to ensure students are supported with diabetes management at school.
“The Canadian Diabetes Association is working hard to support the health of Canadians through education, research, advocacy, improved treatments and prevention by collaborating with all stakeholders in the diabetes community,” added Hnetka. “I am hopeful this new report will be used by the Government of Saskatchewan to initiate positive policy changes to improve the lives of people with diabetes or prediabetes in the province.”
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. This leads to high levels of blood glucose (sugar), which over time can result in serious complications. In prediabetes, a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
Nearly half of those with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes. For people with diabetes, keeping healthy requires a balance of nutrition and physical activity along with medication if prescribed and monitoring of blood sugar levels.
