1m diabetes patients undiagnosed

Unhealthy lifestyle choices are fuelling a surge in the number of type-2 diabetics in the UK but as many as one million sufferers remain undiagnosed.

That is according to new estimates from the charity Diabetes Health Intelligence, which believes twice as many people as previously believed are unaware they have it.

People can go for years with the condition before realising, and it is estimated that there will be 5.5 million sufferers of both type-1 and type-2 by 2030.

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "Whilst screening of at-risk groups has started, notably through the NHS health checks programme, it is clear there needs to be greater emphasis on successful delivery throughout the country."

Diabetes is a condition characterised by high blood sugar levels, which are a result either of the body's failure to properly produce insulin (type-1) or the development of cellular resistance to the effects of the hormone (type-2).

Type-2 diabetes accounts for as many as nine in ten cases of the disease.

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