Diabetes mellitus is a highly prevalent metabolic condition in ageing societies associated with high levels of morbidity, multiple therapies, and functional deterioration that challenges even the best of health care systems to deliver high-quality, individualized care. Most international clinical guidelines have ignored the often-unique issues of frailty, functional limitation, changes in mental health, and increasing dependency that characterize many aged patients with diabetes. A collaborative Expert Group of the IAGG and EDWPOP and an International Task Force have explored the key issues that affect diabetes in older people using a robust method comprising a Delphi process and an evidence-based review of the literature. Eight domains of interest were initially agreed and discussed: hypoglycemia, therapy, care home diabetes, influence of comorbidities, glucose targets, family/carer perspectives, diabetes education, and patient safety. A set of "consensus" statements was produced in each domain of interest. These form a foundation for future policy development in this area and should influence the clinical behavior and approach of all health professionals engaged in delivering diabetes care to older people.

No abstract

Last year we published a statement of diabetes prevalence in the UK [1]. Accurate information on the number of people with diabetes is essential for the management of diabetes and to understand the epidemiology of the disease and its complications. New data are now published, which allows our data to be updated, and sources of data have been combined to estimate the split of diabetes by type.In autumn 2014 the Quality and Outcomes Framework [2], a financial incentive scheme for general practice based on indicators of the level of care received by patients, provided data on the number of people aged ≥ 17 years with diagnosed diabetes across all four nations of the UK at the end of March 2014. This showed that across the UK there were 3 333 069 people aged ≥ 17 years with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes, which equates to a prevalence of 6.2% in this age group. This is up from the equivalent figure of 6% last year [1]. The number of children and young people with diagnosed diabetes aged ≤ 16 years (and therefore not Table 1 Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes Aged 0-16 years Aged ≥ 17 years All ages Number of people % Number of people % Number of people % England 22 277 0.2 2 814 004 6.2 2 836 281 5.0 Wales 1409 0.2

While further research is needed to define the population-attributable risk of periodontal disease to both cardiovascular diseases and to diabetes control and progression, health education to encourage better oral health should be considered as part of current healthy lifestyle messages designed to reduce the increasing health burden of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.