More than 12,000 Tasmanians could be living with type 2 diabetes and not even know it, with new research highlighting the growing trend of antipathy towards the condition.
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Australia experiences about one million diabetes-related hospital admissions every year, with the total annual cost impact estimated at $14.6 billion.
However, research from Melbourne's Austin Health recently found that 62 per cent of its patients aged over 40 were not concerned about developing type 2 diabetes.
The condition was also rated as having the least impact on a person's health compared to other conditions such as blindness, limb amputation and heart attack, despite diabetes being a leading cause of all these conditions.
Diabetes Tasmania chief executive Caroline Wells said while the prevalence and burden of diabetes was increasing, there was still a significant disconnect between the condition and its consequences.
"It's about awareness, but it's also about understanding the seriousness of diabetes," she said.
"In Tasmania we have about 12,000 people living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes - that's the really scary part.
"Because the complications don't just start happening when you are diagnosed.
"Sadly, we can see some people can live with type 2 for seven years before they are diagnosed.
"Meanwhile, what's happening is the blood vessels and nerves are being damaged - sometimes irreversibly."
In other news:
Diabetes is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, kidney failure and dialysis. It also increases a person's risk of a heart attack and stroke by up to four times.
With "silent" symptoms including the four Ts - toilet, tired, thinner and thirsty - Ms Wells said there was still a lot of complacency around the severity of diabetes.
"When we talk about the symptoms, you can have type 2 and not realise. Whereas when it's something more visible, like having a heart attack, it's less hard to ignore," she said.
"There has been some significant advancements in technology for people living with diabetes, around continuous glucose monitoring, but it doesn't take away that burden.
"The burden on the person who develops diabetes, the burden on their family and the financial burden of diabetes on the health system - it's huge."
As part of National Diabetes Awareness Week from July 14-20, the It's About Time campaign aims to encourage early detection and optimal treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Ms Wells said it was vital people understood their risk factors and recognised that the condition could be managed.
"The diagnosis of diabetes can be very isolating and hugely scary for people," she said.
"If we can make sure people are on the right path of diagnosis, they can understand the disease and how it affects them. That is so important."