By Sitha Maliwa:
The numbers are staggering and terrifying. Across the world, diabetes is quietly tightening its grip on millions of lives. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 537 million adults between the ages of 20 and 79 are living with diabetes, roughly one in ten people. Even more alarming is that almost half have no idea they’re living with the condition.
This global health crisis is not slowing down. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 643 million, and by 2045, a jaw-dropping 783 million people will be affected.
And here at home, South Africa is not spared. Diabetes has become the second biggest killer in the country, according to research by Wits University. As of August 2024, an estimated 4.2 million South Africans, about one in nine adults, were living with diabetes. But the real number may be even higher, hidden beneath poor detection and limited surveillance.
The tragedy runs deeper than most people realise. Diabetes is not just about blood sugar and insulin; it’s a silent accomplice in heart disease, working behind the scenes to destroy lives.
There is a dangerous lack of understanding about the deadly trio: diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure. Few South Africans know that these chronic conditions often walk hand in hand and together, they’re claiming hearts, families, and futures.
“While Diabetes Awareness Month highlights the importance of managing blood sugar levels, it’s equally vital to understand the broader impact of diabetes on heart health,” says Lizeth Kruger, Dis-Chem Clinic Executive. “These diseases are diagnosed, treated, and managed daily, yet awareness of how they contribute to serious complications such as heart failure remains low.
Every day, high blood sugar quietly erodes the body’s defences. The damage is slow and silent, a creeping assault on blood vessels and nerves. Over time, this leads to atherosclerosis, a deadly buildup of plaque in the arteries that chokes the heart’s lifeline. The result? Coronary artery disease. Heart attacks. Heart failure.
The most chilling part you might never see it coming. High blood sugar causes damage that hides in plain sight. It can destroy blood vessels and nerves without pain or warning. For many people with diabetes, the usual symptoms of a heart attack, crushing chest pain or tightness, never appear. Instead, they feel unexplained fatigue, dizziness, or breathlessness, unaware that their heart is fighting for its life.
“People often don’t correlate diabetes and heart disease because the connection isn’t always obvious, even though they are closely linked,” says Kruger
The danger multiplies when high cholesterol, obesity, and high blood pressure join the fight. Together, they create a perfect storm, one that often ends in tragedy.
Managing diabetes becomes a daily balancing act: blood sugar checks, medication, diet, exercise. But amidst the routine, the long-term threat to the heart is easy to ignore until it’s too late.
And if you already have heart disease? The risk is even higher. Diabetes acts like gasoline on a fire, accelerating damage and reducing the heart’s ability to recover
Kruger believes that awareness and action can turn the tide. She offers a set of life-saving steps for anyone living with diabetes:
Have regular check-ups and talk to your pharmacist or healthcare provider about your heart health.
Keep an eye on your blood pressure and cholesterol, and have your nurse check them during visits.
- Quit smoking to reduce your cardiovascular risk.
- Eat a balanced diet rich in whole foods and low in added sugars and salt.
- Stay active with regular physical movement suited to your lifestyle and fitness level.
- Seek medical advice immediately if you experience sudden fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
Diabetes doesn’t always announce its damage with pain or panic; sometimes, it creeps in quietly, one heartbeat at a time. But it doesn’t have to win.
With awareness, vigilance, and small, consistent actions, millions of South Africans can protect not only their blood sugar but their hearts, their families, and their futures. Because when it comes to diabetes, ignorance isn’t bliss – it’s deadly. – @NewsSA_Online
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