World Diabetes Day, initiated jointly by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), is observed annually on November 14 to raise global awareness and alertness regarding diabetes. The theme in 2023 is “Understand the Risk, Understand How to Respond”.

According to data from the IDF, as of 2021, approximately 537 million adults worldwide suffer from diabetes, with nearly half of them, about 212 million people, lacking awareness of their condition. The IDF predicts that by 2045, the global number of adults with diabetes will increase by approximately 46% to around 783 million.

Diabetes is characterized by low awareness, low treatment, and low cure rates. Typical symptoms include polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, and significant weight loss. However, more than 50% of type 2 diabetes patients may have no symptoms or only partial complications. Therefore, early detection of diabetes is crucial when experiencing symptoms like skin itch, recurrent urinary tract infections, and slow wound healing. It is also important to be aware of risk factors such as family history, overweight or obesity, age over 45 years old, lack of physical activity, and a history of gestational diabetes.

For individuals at high risk of diabetes, diabetes screening helps in early detection, and comprehensive management can prevent and control diabetes complications, reducing disability and mortality rates.

World Diabetes Day in 2023 also emphasizes the importance of international cooperation. Governments and medical institutions worldwide are strengthening collaboration with international organizations, sharing prevention and control experiences, and jointly researching the causes and treatment methods of diabetes.

World Diabetes Day serves as a crucial moment to remind us to pay attention to the global diabetes problem, urging countries worldwide to establish effective diabetes prevention and control systems on a global scale, to actively contribute to protecting human health and well-being.