Hospitals in various Bulgarian cities are organizing free consultations for people with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes on the occasion of World Diabetes Day. According to data from the Bulgarian Society of Endocrinology, one in three Bulgarians aged between 60 and 69 has diabetes, and half of all diabetics in the country are undiagnosed and considered ''healthy''. 

There are about 770,000 Bulgarians with diabetes, but only half of them know their diagnosis. The main risk factor is prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal-between 5.7 and 6.4 mmol/L. Diabetes development can be prevented with the necessary lifestyle changes. Other risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure and advancing age.

• Nearly 17% of Bulgarians have diabetes