Members of the travelling community need to be made aware they have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than the general population, according to new Irish research carried out in Galway.
A study published in the June issue of the Irish Medical Journal revealed the prevalence of diabetes in the Traveller community is almost double the national rate of 4.3 per cent.
Researchers screened 47 members of the Traveller community in Galway, measuring fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure, triglycerides and waist circumference.
The study results showed 70 per cent showed evidence of abdominal obesity and 43 per cent had systolic hypertension, while more than half had metabolic syndrome.
Of the 47 participants in the study, 8.5 per cent were identified as having diabetes and a further 10.6 per cent were diagnosed as having pre-diabetes.
“The prevalence of pre-diabetes in the sample population was found to be 10.6 per cent compared with 6.3 per cent in the background population. Over the ensuing five years, approximately 50 per cent of these will develop diabetes if lifestyle changes are not implemented.
“Awareness within the Travelling community of the high prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors should be raised. Travellers need to know that morbidity and mortality from these diseases can be reduced significantly if they are well managed,” researchers said.
Meanwhile, another study from the same issue of the IMJ, described the current pathways of care for epilepsy in Ireland as “fragmented and inadequate,” calling for investigations to determine the quality and cost-effectiveness of the current GP-managed service.
