A new way to monitor diabetes

Madam, – Joe Dalton, inventor of Intellehealth (HEALTHplus, April 26th), is to congratulated for winning a prize for his novel…

Madam, – Joe Dalton, inventor of Intellehealth (HEALTHplus, April 26th), is to congratulated for winning a prize for his novel health-monitoring device. I would like, however, to correct his assertion that there are 400,000 “diabetics” in Ireland. There are, in fact, 178,000 people with diabetes in Ireland, 50,000 of whom do not know they have diabetes.

Your readers may be glad to know that the use of the word “diabetics” as a common noun is now considered outmoded and insensitive. – Yours, etc,

DAVID MCMAHON,

Diabetes Federation of Ireland,

Lower Gardiner Street,

Dublin 1.