Diabetes — a personal view

We know that type 2 diabetes is very common in Australia, that its prevalence is increasing, and that a very large minority of the Australian population have several risk factors for diabetes. These facts are now becoming a matter of public, not just professional, knowledge and will lead to increased public demand for information on the disease, and how to avoid it.

There are many excellent sources of information for the person with diabetes, but the diversity of those developing the condition means that additional well-written and accurate accounts are welcome. A first-hand account by someone with a condition has the capacity to make a profound impression on others beyond that of medical texts. Tim Bowden has made an important contribution of this sort that can be recommended with confidence to those newly diagnosed as well as those at risk.

Bowden is a broadcast journalist well known for his affable and direct style of communication. He brings these skills to an account of his own diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at a routine medical assessment at the age of 65, and his experiences in learning how to cope with it. This is combined with interviews recounting the experiences of others and with key Australian experts. He provides straightforward information on the range of symptoms, causation, principles of management, monitoring and surveillance for complications. His focus is on the person with diabetes and how he or she can and should deal with the problem, including psychological reactions to the diagnosis and the behavioural adaptations subsequently required.

Perhaps another round of editing would have reduced some occasionally irritating repetitiveness, but this book appears to have successfully targeted a public health need and is a welcome addition to currently available publications.

Duncan J ToplissDirector Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC