November 14 of every year is dedicated to the awareness of Diabetes Mellitus globally.
The term diabetes is the shortened version of the full name diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is derived from the Greek word diabetes meaning siphon – to pass through and the Latin word mellitus meaning honeyed or sweet. This is because in diabetes excess sugar is found in blood as well as the urine. It was known in the 17th century as the “pissing evil”. The term diabetes was probably coined by Apollonius of Memphis around 250 BC. Diabetes is first recorded in English, in the form diabete, in a medical text written around 1425. It was in 1675 that Thomas Willis added the word “’mellitus’” to the word diabetes (Dr. Mandal 2019, History of Diabetes retrieved from news-medical.net/health/History-of-Diabetes.apex)
Approximately 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes. The total number of people living with diabetes is projected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045, according to International Diabetes Federation’s latest Report. 3 in 4 adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries, which includes Nigeria. Almost 1 in 2 (240 million) adults living with diabetes are currently undiagnosed. 541 million adults are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, also known as T2DM (International Diabetes Federation,2021). Nigeria is one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that are currently groaning under a rising prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), approximately 5.8% (about 6 million) of adult Nigerians are living with DM (Ugwu. E, Young .E & Nkpozi .M, 2020).
Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from not producing any or enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin that is produced. Prediabetes/ intermediate hyperglycemia is a condition where people have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Individuals with prediabetes are at a higher risk of developing T2DM.
Different types of diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes: This is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes which happens due to autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic Beta cells that plays a role in insulin production in the body, which helps to optimize the blood sugar level. This condition can affect any age group but is common among children and young adults.
Type 2 Diabetes: Also called non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult diabetes. In this condition, the beta cells produce insulin but due to insulin resistance, it is unable to use insulin effectively thereby resulting in hyperglycemia
Gestational Diabetes: Is diagnosed for the first-time during pregnancy. It may occur anytime during pregnancy but commonly after 24 weeks. This condition is temporary & usually resolves after pregnancy. However, some women are more likely to develop into T2DM after the pregnancy.
Risk factors associated with diabetes are, family history of diabetes, being overweight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, age, high blood pressure and a history of gestational diabetes
Clinical manifestations present with the following signs and symptoms of diabetes: the cardinal signs are polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (always thirsty), polyphagia (always hungry)
Others are weight loss, glucosuria, dehydration, fatigue, blurred vision, tingling and numbness in hands and feet
Management of diabetes:
Healthy eating/balanced diet (non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, lean proteins, and Fish. limit sweetened drinks and replaced with water, added sugar, fatty foods, processed foods, sodium and stay hydrated with clean potable water)
Physical activity/exercise (include daily routines for work, displacement, structured, planned activities to confer benefits with respect to chronic diseases or certain aspects of fitness)
Respiratory health management (don’t smoke or expose yourself to environmental hazards like air pollution to help manage risk of heart disease)
Social /mental health (ensure adequate sleep of about 8 hours a day and avoid stress).
Weight loss (lower risk of diabetes/ aid its management with recommended BMI)
Pharmacological management include usage of insulin and various oral medications. These are only given by your doctors after a proper consultation, using different reasons based on the individual to decide which ones are right. Proper adherence according to the prescription given you by your physician is paramount as only you can determine if they work by taking them correctly.
Complications of diabetes varies: eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma, foot problems like wounds that do not heal properly, heart issues and stroke, kidney problems , nerve damage (neuropathy), gum disease and other mouth problems, sexual problems in women and men with erectile dysfunction being a primary reason a lot of men first report to the health facility. The rate of complications coming on can be slowed by initial correct management, but we find that most people discover that they have Diabetes when one or more of these complications have already set in. A common one that happens to diabetics is called hypoglycemia whereby the blood sugar falls too low and can lead to sweating, dizziness and passing out if not reversed quickly
Diabetes is a condition that many live well with quietly, but many more manage it improperly due to lack of adequate knowledge and misinformation about its management. It must be noted that more people have Pre- diabetes, which means they must be even more vigilant to arrest the slide into full blown Diabetes by following advice from competent medical professionals relative to their health condition.
Chronicare Limited is a fully integrated health institution dedicated to the management of Diabetes and other chronic diseases and can be reached via contact@chronicare.org and 09055790892
