INTENSIFYING AWARENESS ON DIABETES AS THE WORLD DIABETES DAY IS COMMEMORATED TODAY SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015
Diabetes is a lifelong medical
condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is
often caused by the insufficiency or lack of the hormone known as insulin,
which is produced by the pancreas – a gland found behind the stomach.
The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled
by insulin. When food is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin moves glucose
out of the blood and into the cells where it’s broken down to produce the
required energy.
However this implies that, if one has diabetes, his/her body is unable
to break down glucose into energy; because there’s either not enough insulin to
move the glucose or the insulin being produced doesn’t work properly.
There are two main types of diabetes namely: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2
diabetes. The former is usually more delicate than the latter which is far more
common.
In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the
cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, the victim’s glucose
level increases, which can seriously damage his body’s organs. Type 1 diabetes
is often regarded as Insulin-dependent diabetes; it is also sometimes
recognized as Juvenile diabetes or Early-onset diabetes, because it mostly
develops before the age of forty (40) or usually during the teenage years.
If one is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he would need insulin injections
for the rest of his life. He would also need to pay very close attention to
certain aspects of his lifestyle and health, to ensure that his blood glucose
levels stay balanced at all times.
Type 2 diabetes takes place when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin
or it cells don’t react to insulin. This type of diabetes is generally known as
Insulin-resistant diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition,
the patient may eventually need medication mainly in the form of tablets.
Type 2 diabetes is in most cases associated with obesity.
Obesity-related diabetes is sometimes referred to as Maturity-onset diabetes
owing to the fact that it is more common in older people.
During pregnancy, some women possess high levels of blood glucose, which
makes their body unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. Such
condition is known as Gestational diabetes and it affects up to 18 in 100 women
during pregnancy. Pregnancy can as well make existing Type 1 diabetes worse.
Gestational diabetes can increase the risk
of health problems developing in an unborn baby, therefore it’s very necessary
for a pregnant woman to keep her blood glucose levels under control. In several
cases, gestational diabetes develops during the second trimester of pregnancy,
which is weeks 14 to 26, and disappears after the baby is born. But the truth
remains that, women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at an increased
risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
The general symptoms of diabetes, which often take place simultaneously,
are as follows:
v
Feeling
very thirsty.
v
Urinating
more frequently than usual, particularly at night.
v
Feeling
very tired.
v
Weight
loss and loss of muscle bulk.
v
Cuts
or wounds that heal slowly.
v
Blurred
vision, caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry.
v
Itching
around the private part or frequent episodes of thrush.
Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days. Whilst,
many people may have Type 2 diabetes for years without realizing it because the
early symptoms tend to be friendly.
Statistics, according to World Health Organization (WHO), show that
about 347 million people worldwide are presently suffering from diabetes. In
2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high fasting
blood sugar. The most devastating aspect of diabetes is that, almost half of
the people suffering from it do not know that they have the disease. In view of
this, WHO stipulates that diabetes would be the 7th leading cause of
death by the year 2030.
Many more people worldwide have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is referred to as Pre-diabetes. If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. Thus, it’s absolutely very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it would get progressively worse if left untreated.
In general, diabetes carriers are advised to eat healthily, take regular
exercise and carry out regular blood tests in order to ensure that their blood
glucose levels remain balanced. Above all, they are also advised to maintain a
very cordial relationship with their doctors or health experts.
Today Saturday November 14, the world over is commemorating the 2015
World Diabetes Day. The World Diabetes Day, which is an annual and
international commemoration, was instituted in the year 1991 by the
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in collaboration with the World Health
Organization (WHO) to help in raising public awareness on the dangers and
control of diabetes.
World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations (UN) Day in 2007
through the passage of the UN Resolution. The day was chosen in honour of the
birthday of Frederick Banting who along with Charles Best first conceived the
idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921. The campaign attached to
the World Diabetes Day draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the
diabetes community and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.
As the global community marks the World Diabetes Day today, I’m using
this avenue to urge the general public to endeavour to live a life that would
exonerate them from contracting this dreaded disease that has claimed hundreds
of millions of souls as well as maimed several lives both in the past and
present. They can achieve this by ensuring that they consume balance diets or
by staying away from constant intake of starchy or sugary foods without
supplementing them with other required classes of foods.
The sufferers of the disease ought to also note that they can live as long as possible if necessary precautions are always taken, or if they continually stick to the modus operandi surrounding the disease, such as eating healthily, indulging in regular exercise, carrying out blood tests regularly, and consistent intake of the prescribed drugs or frequent consultation of a physician, among others.
Yes diabetes has no absolute cure but it can be prevented, or managed if contracted; thus it is worthy to acknowledge that we have every opportunity to live without the disease or live healthily if being attacked by it. Think about it!
COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR
Executive
Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career
Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
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