World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated by millions of people around the world on November 14^th each year. [1] Led by the IDF, WDD is a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of diabetes and promote efforts to tackle the condition as a global health priority. [2]

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimate that 415 million adults were living with diabetes in 2015, with this number set to rise to around 642 million by 2040. [3] This is equivalent to one in 10 adults. [3]

Diabetes is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness and kidney failure in many countries around the world, but some of these complications, such as blindness, can be prevented with early detection and treatment. [3]

This year, the theme of WDD is “eyes on diabetes.” [2] Key messages of the campaign are:

• Screening for type 2 diabetes is essential for managing the condition and reducing the risk of complications.
• Screening for diabetes complications is a vital for the management of both types of diabetes. [2]

Highlighted articles from BMJ Open for World Diabetes Day 2016 include:

• Informed shared decision-making programme on the prevention of myocardial infarction in type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial
• Social inequalities in prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes and impaired glucose regulation in participants in the Health Surveys for England series
• Sex differences in body anthropometry and composition in individuals with and without diabetes in the UK Biobank
• Investigation of the relationship between patient empowerment and glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional analysis.
• Is self-monitoring of blood glucose effective in improving glycaemic control in type 2 diabeteswithout insulin treatment: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials  

Sources

1. World diabetes day 2016. Diabetes UK. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/World-Diabetes-Day/, accessed 8 November 2016
2. World diabetes day. IDF. http://www.idf.org/wdd-index/about.html, accessed 31 October 2016
3. World diabetes day 2016. IDF. http://www.idf.org/wdd-index/wdd2016.html accessed, 31 October 2016