ABBOTT RECOGNIZES WORLD DIABETES DAY

Recognize World Diabetes Day, November 14, and learn more about this serious health threat.
 

Approximately 371 million people—that’s one in 19 people worldwide—are currently affected by diabetes,¹ and unless rapid action is taken, one person in 10 will have diabetes by 2030.² The disease creates quality of life and health challenges for nearly everyone it affects. For example, people with diabetes are two-to-four times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than people without diabetes.³ People with diabetes are also at risk for many other health complications, such as kidney failure, blindness, lower-limb amputations and death.⁴ These factors make proper management vitally important to people with diabetes.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day, an annual initiative launched by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations to raise global awareness and draw attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world.

TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 DIABETES

People with diabetes are diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2, which is distinguished by how the person’s body interacts with insulin. For people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin because the body’s immune system has attacked and destroyed the cells that produce it. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in younger people. This group of patients must manage their disease very carefully by taking insulin, monitoring blood glucose levels (often multiple times each day), making wise food choices and being physically active.^{5, 6}

Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin or the cells do not respond to it normally.⁷ Being overweight and lacking physical activity increase a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes.⁸

ABBOTT'S COMMITMENT TO DIABETES MANAGEMENT

Abbott markets a number of products to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of diabetes:

• Abbott's ARCHITECT systems and i-STAT feature various tests to monitor and manage diabetes in the hospital and laboratory settings.
• Abbott’s FreeStyle line of blood glucose monitors⁹ are easy-to-use, require small blood samples and provide fast and accurate test results.
• In the United States, Abbott has recently introduced Glucerna^® Advance nutrition shakes to help minimize blood sugar spikes while supporting heart health and the immune system.¹⁰ Outside of the United States, Glucerna^® Triple Care is available in some markets, providing a unique system of ingredients to help patients manage their blood sugar response, as well as support heart health and weight management as part of an overall diabetes management plan.
• Abbott also provides diabetes management to pets through AlphaTRAK^® Blood Glucose Monitoring System (calibrated specifically for dogs and cats) and the AlphaTRAKer tool, which allows storage and monitoring of glucose data for animals with diabetes.
• One way to honor World Diabetes Day is to recognize that diabetes is a global health threat with serious consequences that affect us all–whether or not we have diabetes. To learn more about World Diabetes Day and how you can become involved, visit the IDF World Diabetes Day website.
  

The FreeStyle brand of products is intended for testing outside the body (in vitro diagnostic use) as an aid to monitor the effectiveness of diabetes control. The products should not be used for the diagnosis of or screening for diabetes or for neonatal use.

Use under medical supervision as part of a diabetes management plan.

1 Diabetes: Facts and Figures. International Diabetes Federation. http://www.idf.org/worlddiabetesday/toolkit/gp/facts-figures. Accessed September 13, 2013. The world population is over 7 billion.(http://www.census.gov/popclock/). Accessed October 2013.
2 http://www.idf.org/global-leaders-respond-diabetes-epidemic. Accessed October 14, 2013.
3 The Link Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. National Diabetes Education Program. http://ndep.nih.gov/media/CVD_FactSheet.pdf Accessed October 22, 2013.
4 National Diabetes Statistics 2011. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/. Accessed October 22, 2013.
5 Diabetes Basics. (n.d.). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/?loc=GlobalNavDB. Accessed November 27, 2013.
6 Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. (n.d.). National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/what.aspx#kind. Accessed November 27, 2013.
7 The Link Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. National Diabetes Education Program. http://ndep.nih.gov/media/CVD_FactSheet.pdf Accessed October 22, 2013.
8 National Diabetes Statistics 2011. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/. Accessed November 27, 2013.