People with diabetes are twice as likely to have a disability as people without diabetes. This is according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). And, more serious disabilities are more common in people with diabetes, described as severe or profound core activity limitations.
Rates of disability among people with diabetes was 39 per cent, compared with 17 per cent for those without diabetes, after adjusting for age differences, according to AIHW spokesperson Susana Senes.
“The rate of severe or profound limitation among people with diabetes was 14 per cent compared with 5 per cent for those without diabetes,” she said.
The combination of diabetes and disability has a big impact on employment participation. Among working-age people with diabetes and disability, 40 per cent said they were permanently unable to work, compared with 20 per cent of people with a disability who did not have diabetes.
Compared with people without diabetes, people with diabetes also reported higher rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, depression, vision loss and kidney related disorders.
For more information go to http://aihw.gov.au