People living in Bradford are being encouraged to find out about diabetes and fight it.

The message comes from local NHS chiefs at the start of National Diabetes Week.

More than 35,000 people in our district are diagnosed with diabetes and nine out of ten of them have the preventable type - Type 2.

That figure has prompted the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven to support a campaign run by Diabetes UK to get people with the condition to talk about their experiences and share how they learned more about the condition, in a bid to inspire others to do the same.

Anyone can join the conversation throughout the week on social media using the hashtag #diabetesweek.

Dr Sohail Abbas, clinical lead for diabetes, Bradford City CCG, said: “One in 16 people in the UK have diabetes. But it’s not just a national problem, there are also many people in the Bradford district who either have diabetes or are at risk of developing it.

“We hope that by supporting the campaign we will raise awareness and encourage people to find out more about the condition. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed if people look after their health and have access to the right support.

“Knowing about the condition and catching it early is important so that the condition can be managed much more easily through making lifestyle changes such as improving diet and exercising more.”

Dr Colin Renwick, GP executive for Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, said: “Diabetes is a long term condition that can have many complications with circulation, vision, kidneys and nervous system problems being some of these. The earlier we can diagnose it and start effective treatment then the less chance of developing these conditions will be. It is important that people with diabetes understand and share in the management of their condition with their health professionals.”

Some people are more at risk of developing diabetes than others, including; those who have a family history of diabetes; are overweight or have a large waist size; are not physically active; and people who are South Asian or African Caribbean.

Diabetes is a serious life-long health condition that occurs when the amount of sugar in the blood is too high because the body can not use it properly. If left untreated, high blood glucose levels can cause serious health complications.

People who are worried can talk to their pharmacist or GP or go to betterhealthbradford.nhs.uk/BBD

To find out more about Diabetes Week visit diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Diabetes-Week/