Diabetes is a chronic disease that disrupts the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. It is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, lower limb amputation, and even early death. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, there are 11 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes today. That number is roughly 10% of the population, with that percentage expected to grow to 12% by 2025. Diabetes becomes more prevalent with advancing age – in Canada, 1 in 6 older adults report having the disease. Type 2 diabetes is the most common, accounting for 90-95% of all cases.
Chronic diseases like diabetes are often ‘self-managed’ – a model of care that empowers patients to be in control of their own treatments. But managing diabetes involves a lot of responsibility and work and can leave some patients feeling overwhelmed. We have compiled some of our evidence-based resources below to help you make informed choices about managing the disease.