According to the World Health Organization, a few decades ago, diabetes was an uncommon disease in both developed and developing countries. Today, the situation is unique. I now estimated that the disease affects over 143 million people worldwide. This number is growing: by 2020, over we expect 220 million people to be living with diabetes, if current trends continue.
In the United States alone, 18.2 million people (6.3% of the population) are living with diabetes. We have diagnosed thirteen million people with diabetes. Unfortunately, 5.2 million (nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.
Figures for Nigeria are not available, but we estimate that over 1.5 million people have diabetes in that country.
In developed countries, most patients with diabetes are over the age of 60, but in developing countries, we find diabetes in people in the prime of their lives.
WHAT IS DIABETES?
The term “diabetes mellitus” (or simply “diabetes”) is derived from the Greek word “Diabeinein”, which means “to pass through” to describe profuse urination, and “Mellitus” from the Latin word meaning “sweet with honey”. Both words refer to sweetened urine or sugar in the urine.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to control the rate at which sugar, starch and other foods are converted into glucose, the energy needed for daily living. The hormone is produced and released.
Into the bloodstream by an organ called the pancreas. Insulin keeps blood glucose levels within a normal range. The World Health Organization (WHO) places this normal range between.
60 - 100 mg/dl (before any food is taken for the day, so this value is called fasting blood glucose). In good health, despite several demands for glucose in different situations, blood glucose levels rarely exceed this value.
After a meal, the liver stores the glucose from the meal as glycogen and releases it into the blood between meals. Insulin’s role is to control this storage and release of glucose. It ensures that the amount of glucose in the blood does not exceed or fall below the normal range.
TYPES OF DIABETES.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), five classes of diabetes are recognized: insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) or type I diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) or type II diabetes, gestational diabetes, diabetes insipidus and bronze diabetes.
INSULIN-DEPENDENT/ TYPE I DIABETES: This type of diabetes was originally called juvenile diabetes because it affects adolescents and young adults. A sudden inability of the pancreas causes it to produce insulin. It is therefore an acute disease that manifests itself by thirst, polyuria (emission of large quantities of urine), diuresis, and weight loss. Type I diabetes is not common, accounting for less than 10% of all cases of diabetes.
NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES/TYPE II: This is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for over 80% of all diabetes cases. We find it in adults and the elderly. This type of diabetes develops gradually over a long period (without being noticed) and is characterized by insulin insufficiency, lack of insulin in the blood, or the body’s inability to use the resident insulin (insulin resistance). Because of its slow onset, it usually goes unnoticed until one or more of its long-term complications appear.
Unlike Type I diabetes, the insulin in the blood of a Type II diabetic may be normal or even high, but does not have the desired effect, because of insulin resistance, which is common in obese people.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: This type of diabetes occurs during pregnancy and disappears after delivery within 3 weeks. We estimate it gestational diabetes accompany that 3% of all pregnancies and that nearly half of these patients are likely to develop permanent diabetes later in life.
WHAT CAUSES DIABETES?
As with hypertension and other non-communicable diseases, we can attribute no specific cause to the most common type of diabetes (type II diabetes, type I diabetes being secondary to pancreatic failure). However, certain factors are known to increase the risk of developing diabetes, known as risk factors. For example, indolent, well-nourished populations are 2 to 20 times more likely to develop type II diabetes than active, lean populations of the same race. Other factors known to increase the risk of diabetes include.
OBESITY: they estimated that three-quarters (¾) of all patients with type II diabetes are obese. Indolent and affluent lifestyles contribute to this phenomenon. We estimate that a weight loss of 10 kg can reduce fasting blood glucose levels by nearly 50md/dl. We also known an active lifestyle with frequent exercise to increase insulin sensitivity.
We base the international standard for measuring overweight and obesity on a value called BODY MASS INDEX (BMI). This value is got by dividing the body weight (in kilograms) by the square of the height (in meters).
BMI = Body weight (Kg) / Height2 (Meters).
Note: 1 foot = 0.305 meters.
For adults, a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 is preferred.
A value between 25 and 29 kg/m2 is overweight and a value greater than 30 kg/m2 is obese.
FAMILY HISTORY: A family history of diabetes increases the risk of developing the disease. In this situation, it is very important to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to constantly monitor your blood sugar levels.
AGE AND RACE: Most patients with type 2 diabetes are over the age of 40 when they develop the disease. However, the proportion of increase in the incidence of this disease with age is higher in people with a family history of diabetes, those who are obese and probably those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, diabetes is more prevalent among Africans, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians. Membership in any of these races is a risk factor.
PRECEDENTS OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES: in a woman also increases her chances/possibilities of developing permanent diabetes later in life.
YOU CAN PREVENT/DELAY DIABETES!
Diabetes has no permanent cure once it develops, it is managed throughout life. But you can avoid falling into this lifelong ailment. Before diabetes starts in a person, it is almost always preceded by a situation called PRE DIABETES. A situation where the blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The sad part is that you can’t know when you fall into this category unless you monitor your blood sugar regularly.
Pre-diabetes itself is a serious medical condition, but one that can still be reversed by changing your diet and increasing your physical activity. To determine a person’s blood sugar level, a test called a fasting blood sugar test is done. This test measures the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood before any meal during the day. We measure it in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl).
A value below 100 mg/dl is considered normal, while a value above 100 mg/dl but below 120 mg/dl is not yet full-blown diabetes, so it is pre-diabetes. An individual with a pre-diabetes blood glucose level must take urgent action to reduce blood glucose levels or risk a lifetime of diabetes.
It should be noted, however, that genetic factors predisposing to diabetes are still beyond human understanding and control. Therefore, it makes sense to minimize all controllable human factors. Most of these factors relate to social, occupational and dietary habits.
The following tips can help you reduce your risk of diabetes:
* Reduce weight. Obesity seems to be the most important factor in diabetes. It is essential to reduce weight and body fat and maintain an average body weight. A body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2 for men and less than 24 kg/m2 for women is recommended.
* Increase physical activity. It is a fact that diabetes is more common in people who lead a sedentary and affluent lifestyle. Simple dynamic exercise, such as brisk walking for 30 to 50 minutes a day or 3 to 5 times a week, has been very helpful. Exercise reduces body weight and fat, increases heart functionality, reduces the risk of diabetes and also stimulates emotions and healthy living.
* Reduce or eliminate alcohol. We have shown alcohol consumption of over 2 units per day to have detrimental effects on the body. Because alcohol is an addictive drug, it is very difficult to maintain a set amount of alcohol for a long period. Therefore, it is best to strive to eliminate alcohol completely.
* Avoid smoking. I have shown cigarette smoke to contain several toxic substances. We have linked smoking and alcohol to several diseases. Quitting smoking will certainly reduce the risk of many other diseases besides diabetes.
* Adopt good eating habits, such as;
* Reduce consumption of fatty foods and garbage
* Eat more fish and poultry (skinless is better).
* Garlic reduces blood pressure and cholesterol; add it to your meals from time to time
* Reduce the number of eggs you eat to 3 or 4 per week (it’s better to cook them than fry them).
* Reduce your salt intake to less than 5.8 grams per day.
* Eat more vegetables and high-fiber foods, especially fruit.
* Finally, constantly monitor your fasting blood sugar levels, as this is the only way to know if you have problems.
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CONCLUSION
Because diabetes and hypertension are so closely linked, we need a comprehensive plan of care that focuses on dietary habits and social and environmental factors. Several lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise, maintaining a moderate weight, reducing fat intake, and eating a high-fiber diet, contribute to a healthy life. These measures increase insulin sensitivity and reduce blood pressure.
In conclusion, it is very important to create more health conscious individuals in the population. People who believe that it is better and less expensive to prevent a disease than to treat it when it has become stronger. Preventive health cannot be separated from regular medical check-ups, as the two go hand in hand. There is no way to detect many non-communicable diseases without regular medical check-ups. We cannot overemphasize the importance of these checks.
Pay attention to your health. Know your blood sugar levels and live a healthier life, free from the pain of diabetes.
