CASES of diabetes in Redbridge are soaring at an alarming rate - with the Asian community at the highest risk.

There are currently 12,760 sufferers across the borough, a figure which has risen by more than 20 per cent since 2006.

The high prevalence of the condition among Redbridge’s large south Asian population has pushed the figures up as members of that community are six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than white residents.

Kamala Ishaque, 67, of Clayhall Avenue, has lived with diabetes for 20 years and is campaigning to raise awareness of the disease, nicknamed the ‘silent assassin’.

“When I found out I had diabetes, my life was shattered,” she said.

“There are so many things you can't eat - especially sweets. It was really hard.

“In those days there were no healthy living campaigns, and I had to just get on with it, continue with my job, raise the children.

“I thought it was the end of everything.”

Sara Spiers, care manager and dietician for charity Diabetes UK, says the condition can be coped with - but an early diagnosis is crucial.

“There is no cure for diabetes, but if diagnosed early it can be managed effectively,” she said.

“People can live with diabetes for around ten years before realising they have it, but the danger with that is there can be very serious complications, such as kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and impaired vision.

“But there is no reason why someone with diabetes cannot live the same life as anyone else.”

Mrs Ishaque is involved in the Diabetes Intervention Prevention Project to help raise awareness of the illness in Redbridge.

The group, which is open to all of the borough’s communities, offers eight free classes a week ranging from yoga and Bhangra to gentle exercise as well as health check-ups and educational classes on how to cope with the disease.

She said: “When I was diagnosed there was very little outside support, but I was fortunate that my family were always there for me, especially my husband Mohammed.

“But now there is so much support available, and we just want people to come forward and take advantage of it.”

An estimated nine per cent of all hospital costs are attributed to diabetes, with Type 2 accounting for nearly 95 per cent of all cases worldwide.

There are currently 230 million diabetic people worldwide, with the number of sufferers in the UK set to rise to four million by 2025.

For more information on diabetes, visit redbridge.nhs.uk