1. About one third of all people with diabetes do not know they have the disease.1
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This is actually quite alarming. People who do not know that they are diabetes would usually see a doctor at a stage when they are already manifesting certain complications. The sign and symptoms of diabetes may mark its onset. However, they are too general to immediately link it to the disease. The four symptoms that are usually associated with diabetes are the three P’s; Polyuria (frequent urination), Polydipsia (increased thirst), and Polyphagia (increased hunger), and also weight loss. If you are experiencing these three symptoms, it is advised for you to see a doctor to be properly diagnosed. If diabetes is left untreated for a long period of time, complications would occur such as loss of eyesight due to diabetic retinopathy and, amputations due to nerve disease or damage. 2. People with type 2 diabetes often have no symptoms. 2
There are three types of diabetes. There are types 1 and 2, and gestational diabetes. Among these types, type two diabetes, although shows no symptoms, is also the most preventable. Lifestyle management and diet moderation is strongly suggested for this. Obesity and physical inactivity would often lead to Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This happens when the body’s cells can’t use insulin the right way. So if you consume a lot of glucose, too much sugar would build up in the blood, and can damage your eyes, heart, blood vessels, and other organs of the body. |
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3. Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next 10 years. Most notably, they are projected to increase by over 80% in upper-middle income countries. In 2005, 1.1 million people died from diabetes. The full impact is much larger, because although people may live for years with diabetes, their cause of death is often recorded as heart diseases or kidney failure. 3
Diabetes is said to be the leading cause of death in the United States. 4 Diabetes becomes, well, deadly, when left untreated for a long time. This is especially since it can be left undetected until life threatening complications occur such as heart disease or stroke, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney failure. |
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4. Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy among women with Type 1 Diabetes can cause major birth defects in 5% to 10% of pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15% to 20% of pregnancies. Furthermore, for women with pre-existing diabetes, optimizing blood-glucose levels before and during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of birth defects in their infants. 5
Blood glucose should be closely monitored for diabetic women who are pregnant. Though women might not realize that they are pregnant until 5 to 6 weeks after conception, 6 it is advised for them to really put their blood glucose level in control so as not to harm the baby’s health. High blood glucose level is said to be very harmful for the baby especially in the early stage of pregnancy. |
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5. The Philippines is one of the world’s emerging diabetes hotspots. Ranked in the top 15 in the world for diabetes prevalence, Philippines is home to more than 4 million people diagnosed with the disease – and a worryingly large unknown number who are unaware they have diabetes. 7
It is an advantage to know the facts. The 4th week of July is National Diabetes Awareness Week in the Philippines. 8REFERENCES:
1 Joslin Diabetes Center. Ten things you might not know about diabetes. Accessed July 28, 2014. http://www.joslin.org/info/10_Things_You_Might_Not_Know_About_Diabetes.html?2 Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Sutter Health. Diabetes Information. http://www.pamf.org/diabetes/whatis/ Accessed July 28, 2014?
3 World Health Organization (WHO) Fact File. 10 Facts About Diabetes Accessed July 28, 2014. http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/diabetes/02_en.html?
4 National Diabetes Education Program. http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes-facts/ Accessed July 28, 2014?
5 CDC: cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheet11.htm Accessed July 28, 2014?
6 Natonal Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pregnancy/#your Accessed July 28, 2014?
7 International Diabetes Federation. BRIDGES. http://www.idf.org/BRIDGES/map/philippines Accessed July 28, 2014?
8 DOH Annual Calendar. http://www.doh.gov.ph/annual_calendar2679.html?page=1 Accessed July 27, 2014?
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