INTENSIFYING AWARENESS ON DIABETES
Today, November 14, the world over is commemorating the 2017 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.
The theme of this year’s anniversary
is ‘Women and diabetes - our right to a healthy future’. The campaign is
targeted to promote the importance of affordable and equitable access for all
women at risk for, or living with, diabetes to the essential diabetes medicines
and technologies, self-management education and information they require to
achieve optimal diabetes outcomes and strengthen their capacity to prevent Type
2 diabetes. Record has it that diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in
women globally, causing
2.1 million
deaths per year.
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. Let’s
ride on!
The general symptoms of
diabetes, which often take place simultaneously, are: feeling very thirsty; urinating
more frequently than usual, particularly at night; feeling very tired; weight
loss and loss of muscle bulk; cuts or wounds that heal slowly; blurred vision,
caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry; 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.
As the global community
commemorates the World Diabetes Day anniversary, 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 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!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter:
@mediambassador
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