THE number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Hillingdon has increased in the last year and is now above the London average.

Figures from Diabetes UK showed the figure rose from 17,418 to 18,254, which is 7.43% of the borough population.

In the UK, one in 10 people over 40 is now living with Type 2 diabetes. There are almost a million more who don’t know they have it.

Misbah Latif, 68, a volunteer from Ruislip, wants to raise awareness of the seriousness of Type 2 diabetes and help Hillingdon people understand the risk of developing the condition.

Misbah, who was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, said: “My mother passed away from complications of Type 2 diabetes.

“When I was younger I didn’t know that people of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin were twice as likely to develop it and that it can cause devastating complications.

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“Then, when I was pregnant, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which is a warning sign of increased risk.

“I always tried to be active and ate well but after several years I was diagnosed with Type 2.”

Symptoms include going to the toilet a lot, being really thirsty, feeling more tired than usual and losing weight without trying.

Diabetes UK recommends that everyone uses the free Know Your Risk online tool to find out their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and is urging people of 40 or over to take up a free NHS health check.

To find out your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, go to https://www.diabetes.org.uk/riskscore

To find out more about NHS health checks, go to https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/