Spotlight: NCD's - Diabetes/WiREDInternational.org

During the coming months WiRED International will spotlight noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are the primary health threat in the world today. According to the World Health Organization, NCDs claim 16 million lives a year globally.

More than 75% of deaths worldwide are due to NCDs. Their number exceeds that of all deaths from communicable diseases, plus deaths related to maternal and perinatal malnutrition. Our community health education website offers an e-library of more than 350 medical and health information modules, many of which feature NCDs. WiRED International believes that individuals and communities that understand the basics of NCDs can make vast improvements in their health outcomes.

ore people die each year from diabetes than from breast cancer and AIDS combined. Diabetes is a serious, potentially deadly disease with a worldwide presence that now amounts to a public health crisis. According to the World Health Organization, the burden of diabetes is increasing globally, particularly in developing countries.

Diabetes causes a person to have high blood glucose (blood sugar) either because the body does not produce a hormone called insulin, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin. Over time high blood sugar can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1, in which the pancreas doesn’t create enough insulin, and Type 2, in which the body can’t effectively use the insulin it produces. A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which can occur during pregnancy. Ninety percent of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, which untreated, can cause life-threatening health problems.

Diabetes is predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death in the world by 2030. Although diabetes can’t be cured, the good news is that it can be controlled through treatment and a healthy lifestyle.

WiRED International offers almost 20 different modules in our series on diabetes, including an overview, courses for different target audiences, guides to eating, and segments on how diabetes affects the heart, eyes, skin and feet.