BBC News – 24,000 diabetes deaths a year ‘could be avoided’

[Tim]

Two diabetes stories on the BBC in two days and do you know the worst thing? They both use the same stock photo of someone injecting:

BBC News – 24,000 diabetes deaths a year ‘could be avoided’ http://betes.co.uk/k6h0h

BBC News – Peninsula researchers’ defective gene may help diabetics http://betes.co.uk/yx7qt

[lizz]

It didn’t actually say WHY they are dying. Is it hypos? I can’t imagine that hyper blood sugars would affect those so young.

And what is it with that photo? That’s a third more than I put in my pump to use over 4 days. That person will get type two as well as type one. How many carbs are they eating!!?

[Dave]

Big failure from the PM in PMQs a few moments ago when he quoted improving children’s health and diets to prevent diabetes growth in the future. Obviously there was no distinction between the types

[Alison]

I woke up to this on the radio this morning and in my early morning stupor heard something along the lines of “Diabetics need to look after themselves better otherwise they’ll die” which irritated slightly.

Once my braincells came to life a bit, it seems to be a plea from DUK for better diabetes care as the premature deaths seem to be mostly as a result of complications which could be prevented.

And while I’m being grumpy, the BBC picture caption states “Insulin injections can control the condition” which is blatently untrue. Insulin injections are inanimate objects, they can do nothing, only well motivated and educated people can control the condition, admitedly through the use of insulin injections.

[Tim]

@Alison – yes, I heard it on the wireless first thing while I was having a shave. It’s a cracking way to start the day – “you have a much higher chance of dying today”!

@Seasiderdave – imagine anyone mixing up T1 and T2, whatever next? According to my work colleague they had someone on BBC breakfast TV from Diabetes UK who did differentiate between the two.

[Tim]

@lizz – and another weird thing about the picture (though it might just be the angle) the model don’t appear to have a belly-button. Maybe it’s Beelzebub himself? If so, it’s perhaps comforting to know that Satan suffers from Type One.

[lizz]

Hmmm, looks more like beelzebubba, which at least sounds more friendly.

[Tim]

@lizz – ah yes, the nicer side of hell

[Dave]

@tim I think I’ve identified the model…..

As used here: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/animas/49461/ for the still blue-jumper shot to the lower right of the page.

Obviously she found that the Vibe wasn’t for her so has switched back to injecting gallons of insulin daily.

[Tim]

@seasiderdave – good find! I note that as well as not having a belly button, her skin is lighter below the jumper than above it. Are these manifestations of sinister diabetes side-effects.

Good for the model though – she seems to have carved out a successful niche career as “cheery diabetes sufferer” in stock photography.

[Tim]

And…found her again here:

BBC News – ;

[Tim]

I’ve put these (and more!) onto our twitter feed with the hashtag #diabeteslady – we’ll get it trending by the end of the day!

[Tim]

Oh, and here’s the coverage on the story from NHS Choices’ Behind the Headlines page http://betes.co.uk/d7cja

[Anonymous]

Personally I’d like to see the sums that produced 24,000 deaths a year.
Abusing statistics is a case of the boy who cried wolf and doesn’t do us any favours…

By my rough figures thats over 1% of us dying each year from doing naughty bad diabetic stuff or 20% of newly diagnosed patients each year dying.

Actually @tim add why diabetes UK think its wise or necessary to abuse statistics to the list of questions!

[Tim]

@furrypaul – it did sound a bit mad to me too; the NHS Choices website seems to go into a little more detail. http://betes.co.uk/d7cja

[Author]

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