Broader approach recommended for treating Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes
November 6, 2009New treatment guidelines recommending a broader approach to the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with type 2 diabetes are currently being relayed to rural and remote health practitioners around Australia to help address the alarming incidence of the disease.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians currently have the fourth highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world and it is estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have the disease – a figure which is around four times higher than that for non-Indigenous Australians.
Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Education Foundation, Don Perlgut, says the new treatment and management guidelines for type 2 diabetes with respect to Indigenous Australians is the focus of the final program in a four part series Diabetes and Indigenous Australians which will be broadcast by satellite and web-cast live around Australia on November 10.
This program will be introduced by the Hon Warren Snowdon, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery.
Dr Alex Brown, head of the Centre for Indigenous Vascular and Diabetes Research for the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Alice Springs, says type 2 diabetes represents a major public health problem for Indigenous Australians because of the much earlier age of onset within the population.
He says: “However, if rural and remote health practitioners can be updated about new treatment guidelines which can improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians, this can help prevent complications such as a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, eye disease, kidney disease and nerve damage, which may result in traumatic injury, infection and possible limb amputation.”
Dr Brown adds that the risk of developing diabetes related complications also results in a significant burden of disease in terms of mortality, hospitalisations and a range of financial and human costs.
Death rates in Indigenous communities are believed to be up to seventeen times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians - mainly due to high levels of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease associated with diabetes.
Chronic diseases such as diabetes and those related to it account for 59% of the difference in mortality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, making it imperative for health services, particularly in rural and remote areas to adopt a comprehensive and culturally appropriate response to risk factors and management in primary health care.
The Rural Health Education Foundation’s program explores the question of how diabetes can be prevented in Indigenous communities and the issues around diet, obesity, physical activity, poor living conditions and low socioeconomic status. It focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to the detection and diagnosis of diabetes.
It also examines evidence based approaches to the management of diabetes, hypoglycaemic control and diabetes-related complications among Indigenous Australians
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.
The series of four programs on the new Guidelines are broadcast by satellite television and web-cast by the Foundation, providing an educational package for all rural and remote health practitioners which includes key practice points and goals for patient treatment.
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 final program in the series focusing on diabetes in relation to Indigenous Australians will air on Tuesday November 10. Following that, complete DVD copies of the whole series will be available.