A.C.N. 072 405 139 A.B.N 68 072 405 139
Unit 17K, 2 King Street, Deakin ACT 2600 / PO Box 324, Curtin ACT 2605
Tel: (02) 6232 5480 Fax: (02) 6232 5484
Media Release
October 8, 2009
NEW TYPE 2 DIABETES TREATMENT GUIDELINES SUGGEST:
RISK ASSESSMENT FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES SHOULD NOW BE CARRIED OUT
FROM THE AGE OF 40 IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PREVENTION RATES
Risk assessment for type 2 diabetes should begin from the age of 40 - instead of 50, according to
new guidelines which are currently being relayed to rural and remote health practitioners around
Australia to assist with the primary prevention, case detection and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
The new treatment guidelines suggest that health practitioners should use the recently developed
Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK) to assess the risk of undiagnosed
diabetes and this should begin from age 40 among the general population - and more specifically
from age 18 among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Education Foundation, Don Perlgut, says the
Foundation’s program on the new guidelines will mean rural and remote health practitioners have
access to the new recommendations which have been developed in order to improve outcomes
for the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes expert and Executive Director for the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the
University of NSW, Professor Mark Harris, says by updating rural health practitioners on the
benefits of the new AUSDRISK Tool it will allow patients to not only determine whether they have
type 2 diabetes, but if they are at risk of developing it.
He says: “When you consider that up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable and we
are able to use new tools such as AUSDRISK to identify an individual’s risk of developing the
disease - it can make such a critical difference to a person’s life as well as that of their family.”
Harris explains that under the initial treatment guidelines developed ten years ago, patients were
routinely assessed from the age of 50 - but now new research and evidence points to the age of
40 as being a more significant time to assess people who may be at risk of developing the
disease, as well as identifying poor lifestyle habits which may also influence those around them.
He says: “There is little doubt that the risk assessment age now being dropped to 40 will have
significant flow-on benefits for other family members who may be unwillingly at risk of developing
the disease by mirroring the lifestyle habits adopted by their partners or parents. Children in
particular watch and learn from their parents – so for that reason, the sooner changes are made
to improve their lifestyle, the better.”
“And once a person’s risk of having or developing type 2 diabetes is assessed, we can offer them
access to a range of valuable programs that can educate and empower them to make the right
choices to avoid the disease ever developing,” Harris adds.
A.C.N. 072 405 139 A.B.N 68 072 405 139
Unit 17K, 2 King Street, Deakin ACT 2600 / PO Box 324, Curtin ACT 2605
Tel: (02) 6232 5480 Fax: (02) 6232 5484
-2-
The new type 2 diabetes treatment and management guidelines match recommended patient
treatment with the latest evidence and research and have been endorsed by the National Health
and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and funded by the Australian Government Department
of Health and Ageing.
A
series of four programs on the new Guidelines is being satellite broadcast and web-cast by the
Rural Health Education Foundation, providing
an educational
package for all rural and remote
health practitioners which includes key practice points and goals for patient treatment.
The series continues to air between September and November 2009, with each program covering
specific sections of the guidelines.
Each
broadcast/webcast
includes
live panel discussions
with leading clinicians in the area of
diabetes as well as filmed case studies which showcase innovative approaches to best practice
prevention, diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes.
The third program will focus on the two guidelines involving primary prevention, case detection
and diagnosis and will be broadcast and webcast to rural and remote health professionals on
October 13.
The final program in the series will focus on diabetes in relation to Indigenous Australians and is
scheduled to air in November. Following that, DVD copies of the whole series will be available.
Released for the Rural Health Education Foundation by Kardan Consulting
For further media information please contact:
Karen Bristow on (02) 9967 3245 and 0414 320 146 or karen@kardan.com.au
Diabetes Expert, Professor Mark Harris is available for interviews; and
CEO of the Rural Health Education Foundation, Don Perlgut is available for interviews in
relation to the work of the Foundation.
ABOUT THE RURAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Rural Health Education Foundation is the premier body for the continuing education of rural and remote
health practitioners around Australia.
A not-for-profit independent organisation, the Foundation provides quality broadcast television programs
through part funding from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and the voluntary participation of
Australia’s leading medical experts.
Professionals can access these programs via satellite television, the internet as web-cast, web-streamed or
podcast resources, on DVD and other television broadcast services. Go to www.rhef.com.au
A.C.N. 072 405 139 A.B.N 68 072 405 139
Unit 17K, 2 King Street, Deakin ACT 2600 / PO Box 324, Curtin ACT 2605
Tel: (02) 6232 5480 Fax: (02) 6232 5484
DIABETES FACT SHEET
(Source: Diabetes Australia)
WHAT IS DIABETES
Diabetes is a chronic disease. This means that it lasts for a long time, often for someone's whole
life.
For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. A
hormone called insulin is essential for the conversion of glucose into energy. In people with
diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body.
TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people with diabetes. While
it usually affects older adults, more and more younger people, even children, are getting type 2
diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes some insulin but it is not produced in the amount your
body needs and it does not work effectively.
Type 2 diabetes results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although there
is a strong genetic predisposition, the risk is greatly increased when associated with lifestyle
factors such as high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, insufficient physical activity, poor diet
and the classic ‘apple shape’ body where extra weight is carried around the waist.
While there is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes, the disease can be managed through lifestyle
modifications and medication.
CAUSE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
While there is no single cause of type 2 diabetes, there are well-established risk factors. Some of
these can be changed and some cannot. You are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes if you:
have a family history of diabetes
are older (over 55 years of age ) - the risk increases as we age
are over 45 years of age and are overweight
are over 45 years of age and have high blood pressure
are over 35 years of age and are from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
background
are over 35 years of age and are from Pacific Island, Indian subcontient or
Chinese cultural background
are a women who has given birth to a child over 4.5 kgs (9 lbs), or had
gestational diabetes when pregnant, or had a condition known as Polycystic
Ovarian Syndrome.
A.C.N. 072 405 139 A.B.N 68 072 405 139
Unit 17K, 2 King Street, Deakin ACT 2600 / PO Box 324, Curtin ACT 2605
Tel: (02) 6232 5480 Fax: (02) 6232 5484
SYMPTOMS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
In type 2 diabetes, many people have no symptoms at all, while other signs are dismissed as a
part of ‘getting older’. By the time type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the complications of diabetes may
already be present. Symptoms include:
Being excessively thirsty
Passing more urine
Feeling tired and lethargic
Always feeling hungry
Having cuts that heal slowly
Itching, skin infections
Blurred vision
Gradually putting on weight
Mood swings
Headaches
Feeling dizzy
Leg cramps
PREVENTING TYPE 2 DIABETES
It is estimated that up to 60% of type 2 diabetes can be prevented. People at risk of type 2
diabetes can delay and even prevent this disease by following a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
Maintaining a healthy weight
Regular physical activity
Making healthy food choices
Managing blood pressure
Managing cholesterol levels
Not smoking.
Released for the Rural Health Education Foundation by Kardan Consulting
For further media information please contact:
Karen Bristow on (02) 9967 3245 or 0414 320 146
STATISTICS ON DIABETES
275 Australians develop diabetes every day.
Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease.
About 890,000 Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes. For every person
diagnosed, it is estimated that there is another who is not yet diagnosed; a total of
about 1.7 million people.
The total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is estimated at 3.2
million.
As the sixth leading cause of death in Australia, it is critical we take action.
Up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented.
NEWS 
