Its November, Diabetes Awareness Month

Notes

According to WHO, there are currently about 422 million people with diabetes worldwide, and this number is projected to rise to over 642 million by 2040.

If you know whether you have diabetes or not, you may be able to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, the most common variety. If you find out you are prediabetic, you might be able to reduce future complications by making lifestyle changes.

Diabetes is a risky condition that most people don’t realize they have until complications arise or they are hospitalized; once this happens, treatment that may last for years may be started.

Therefore, the best way to deal with this condition is to prevent it in the first place.

Getting your blood glucose tested at your closest healthcare facility, pharmacy, laboratory, or clinic is a great idea during November, a diabetes prevention month.

Taking the necessary actions according to the doctor’s recommendation is based on the early detection of the condition.

The following known lifestyle changes could help prevent diabetes.

1. Eat a balanced diet
2. Regular exercise
3. Reduce weight
4. Eat healthy fats

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a long-term disorder characterized by a raised level of glucose {or sugar} in the blood. Permanently elevated blood sugar levels are the key indicator for this metabolic disorder.

There are two main types of diabetes mellitus:

diabetes mellitus type 1, which mostly affects younger adults, it is when the body cannot make insulin as most insulin-producing cells have been destroyed.

The other type is type 2, which is often brought on by a poor diet and lack of exercise. For this case, the body cannot make enough insulin or the insulin produced cannot be used properly, usually occurs later in life but is becoming common in younger population.

Diabetes is a disease with severe complications; this can limit how people function physically. Elevated glucose levels cause long-term damage of kidneys, blood vessels, heart and nerves. Serious complications of diabetes mellitus include renal damage, heart attack, loss of sight, diabetic foot syndrome and even organ failure. In a worst case-scenario, diabetic foot leads to amputation.

Kenya

I am glad a good number of diabetes patients in Kenya are not ignorant about their condition; most of them are compliant to medication and are cautious about their diet.

Mostly diet is crucial in controlling blood glucose levels in combination with medication prescribed by a physician. On the other hand, it is alarming to hear about a group of people that is living in denial. It is always hard for them to understand that diabetes is a long-term condition and most of the time treatment is usually long term.

These patients do not take their medications regularly leading to complications and uncontrolled blood glucose.

Diabetes Management in Kenya

Just to note Kenyans do not have specific treatment guidelines for diabetes mellitus. This means most of the prescriptions prescribed are typically customized according to the patient’s response to treatment.  The prescriber adopts what works well for the patient; the prescription there after is tailored from time to time.

Happy diabetes month!