Revealed: 181,000 battling diabetes across the region

The number of people in the region with diabetes has increased from 177,029 in 2017 to 181,894 last year.

The figures include nearly 20,000 people in Walsall, 18,000 in Wolverhampton and 40,000 in Sandwell and West Birmingham.

It is believed the country's obesity epidemic is driving the figures up, with an unhealthy lifestyle linked directly to Type 2 diabetes.

Across the UK there are now more than 3.8 million people living with diabetes, and 90 per cent of those suffer from Type 2. Three in five adults in England are now classed as overweight or obese.

Diabetes UK, which has provided the figures, has also raised concerns that people across the Black Country could have undiagnosed diabetes, as it predicts around 1m people in the country suffer from it without realising.

Symptoms include going to the toilet a lot, being really thirsty and feeling more tired than usual.

However Type 2 diabetes is reversible, as deputy leader of the Labour Party and West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson.

He was diagnosed in the summer of 2017, describing himself as "overweight, deeply unfit and addicted to sugar and fast foods", but by September 2018 was in remission from his diagnosis after cutting out refined sugar and losing seven stone.

He is not the only West Bromwich resident to successfully tackle the disease, with 43-year-old Natalie Blewitt also having turned her life around.

The mother-of-three said: "I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes seven years ago. Back at that time I didn’t think exercise was for me. I was severely overweight and I’m a wheelchair user due to chronic arthritis and stenosis.

"But I started by propelling my own wheelchair rather than being pushed and gradually got fitter and stronger. I swim regularly now and have lost 10 stone and have much better control of my condition.

"My children are also involved with sports and we are a much healthier and happier family in general.

“I would encourage anyone to take their first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. You won’t regret it and the benefits are truly amazing.”

Peter Shorrick, from Diabetes UK, added: “Thousands of Type 2 diabetes cases could be prevented if we help people understand their risk and how to reduce it. Even though the older people get the more likely they are to have Type 2 diabetes, it is never too early to know your risk so that you can make changes to prevent or delay it.

“The signs of Type 2 diabetes are often not obvious, that’s why spotting them early can be life-changing. Early diagnosis means that fewer people will experience diabetes-related complications such as sight loss, amputation, kidney failure, stroke and heart disease, because they could seek support to manage their condition effectively as soon as possible.

“We urge people over 40 to get an NHS Health Check and we advise everyone to find out their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes with the Know your Risk tool.”