Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 106S2 (2014) S281

Contents available at ScienceDirect

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice journ al h ome pa ge : www .elsevier.co m/lo cate/diabres

Editorial

Welcome message from the Chairman of the Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation On behalf of the Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation, I would like to extend our most sincere gratitude and warmest welcome to all the distinguished members of the international community of diabetic studies for attending the 2013 International Diabetes Forum. It would be no exaggeration to call type 2 diabetes a global epidemic, as it has moved beyond a medical problem to become a serious public health concern and social issue worldwide. Continuous observations following the landmark UK Prospective Diabetes Study have indicated reduced incidence of complications among those receiving intensive treatment, thereby demonstrating the legacy effect of metabolic memory. Follow-up observations on impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) patients participating in the earlier Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study also demonstrated a legacy effect facilitated by both metabolic memory and the maintenance of an improved lifestyle. While the evidence base for diabetes prevention remains robust, the epidemic continues unabated, mainly due to the inability of most people to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ongoing economic development and technological advancement enhance financial well-being, which in turn leads people to enjoy ever-richer meals at the expense of vigorous physical activity. Facing an increasing population of diabetes patients, physicians alone cannot achieve significant improvements in diabetes prognosis. Active collaboration with health educators, dietitians, sports experts, and other allied professionals is much needed. Mutual support between diabetes patients

0168-8227© 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

and the application of potentially beneficial information technologies are also crucial for helping medical professionals provide the right patients with the right treatment at the right time. Government health policies, such as those concerning models for patient care, are also closely related to the prevention, treatment, and prognosis of diabetes. In Taiwan, the Diabetes Shared Care Network has been in operation for 16 years under the aegis of government funding awarded based on the network’s performance and the number of treated patients. The network has thus far assisted about 40% of Taiwan’s diabetes patients, playing a dynamic role in slowing down the incidence and reducing mortality of diabetes and increasing life expectancy of patients. Please allow me again to express our gratitude for your joining the forum. We look forward to learning from your invaluable insights regarding how we can benefit people worldwide by accomplishing new milestones in diabetes prevention and treatment.

Tong-Yuan Tai, M.D., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, National Taiwan University Chairman, Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation

Conflicts of interest The author has no conflict of interest to declare.

Welcome message from the Chairman of the Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation.

Welcome message from the Chairman of the Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation. - PDF Download Free
152KB Sizes 2 Downloads 7 Views