On this day millions of people worldwide will be engaged in diabetes advocacy and awareness. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007. The theme for this year is healthy living and diabetes.
The increase of diabetes among South Africans has been so staggering that it has been likened to a tsunami by Dr Larry Distiller, founder and managing director of the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology.
According to the recent South African Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1), one in four people between the ages of 55 and 64 years have dangerously high blood sugar levels and are close to developing diabetes, and at least one in ten adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. However, many more, as many as one in two people with diabetes, are undiagnosed.
Type 2 diabetes, the kind most commonly seen in adults, is the kind of diabetes that can be brought on by an unhealthy lifestyle, obesity, physical inactivity or a family history of diabetes. Obesity is not only a huge problem among South African adults – two in three women and one in three men are overweight or obese – but among children too, particularly children aged two to five years. Some 18.9% of girls are overweight and 4.9% are obese, while 17.5% of boys are overweight and 4.4% obese. Thus a massive portion of our population and it is a ticking time bomb that poses a risk for diabetes and its complications. More and more children are being affected too.
Complications from diabetes include heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations and kidney failure. “Although there is no cure for diabetes, with careful monitoring and healthy lifestyle changes, diabetics can avoid complications and enjoy a long, productive life,” says HSFSA CEO Dr Vash Mungal-Singh.
“All South Africans are urged to have their blood sugar tested and know whether they are at risk of developing diabetes,” says Dr Mungal-Singh.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
- Constant thirst;
- Passing more urine than normal;
- Tiredness;
- Unexplained weight loss;
- Blurred vision;
- Frequent infections such as thrush;
- Sores that don’t heal.
A screening blood test (involving a finger prick) can be done at a clinic or pharmacy to give you a snapshot of how high your blood sugar level is.
What to do if you have diabetes:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet and take medication as prescribed by your doctor;
- Monitor and check blood glucose levels regularly;
- Give up smoking;
- Manage your cholesterol;
- Lose weight if you are overweight;
- Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and cut down on fat;
- Be more physically active – aim for 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week;
- Take care of your feet, report cuts or problems to your doctor or nurse.
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