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Select topic here 1. Introduction 2. What is Diabetes? 3. What are the symptoms of Diabetes? 4. Are you at risk of getting diabetes? 5. What are the complication of Diabetes?

Diabetes: Time to act

1. Introduction

Diabetes is fast becoming a WORLD EPIDEMIC. There are currently more than 177 million peoples suffering from diabetes. WHO estimated that the number of diabetes sufferers will rise to 300 million by 2025. It’s time to act now to create public awareness about the consequences of diabetes, encouraged early detection, regular risk factors monitoring, and try to prevent this preventable disease.

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2. What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is chronic condition that occurs as a result of problems with the production and/or action of insulin in the body. There are two types of diabetes.

• Type I diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) accounts for 5 to 10% of all people with diabetes worldwide. Type I diabetes mainly affected the children and young adults. Their pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin that is needed. Thus, they need insulin injections in order to control their blood glucose.
• Type II diabetes or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) accounts for 90 to 95% of all people with diabetes worldwide. Type II diabetes is most common among older people in particularly those who are obese. Their body cannot make effective use of the insulin produced, the glucose cannot be utilise by the body and accumulated in their blood (Hyperglycemia). These groups of patients may not require insulin injections. Often, their condition can be control by practicing healthy diet, losing weight if necessary and regular exercise. Sometimes, oral anti diabetic drugs are required as well.

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3. What are the symptoms of Diabetes?

The onset of type I diabetes is usually sudden and dramatic and can include symptoms such as:

• Frequent Urination
• Abnormal thirst and dry mouth
• Tiredness
• Constant hunger
• Sudden weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Recurrent infection

The onset of type II diabetes is gradual and hard to detect. Some of them have no early symptoms, it is important to encourage the patients to get tested and diagnosed at the onset of the condition before any complications progressed.

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4. Are you at risk of getting diabetes?

Everybody is at risk of getting diabetes! Some people may be more at risk if they present with these factors:

• Family history of diabetes
• Obese
• Over 45 years of age
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Previous diabetes during pregnancy
• Previously demonstrated abnormalities of glucose metabolism e.g. impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)

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5. What are the complication of Diabetes?

If the condition not well controlled, diabetes can caused serious long term complications that leads to poor quality of life or caused death if left untreated. Here are the most significant complications:

• Nephropathy (Diabetic kidney disease) which may result in total kidney failure.
• Retinopathy (Eye disease) which may ultimately lead to blindness.
• Neuropathy (Nerve damage) which combined with poor blood circulation may caused ulcers of the legs and feet and also gangrene, which eventually leads to amputation.
• Cardiovascular disease which affects the heart and blood vessels and may caused fatal complications such as coronary heart disease (leading to heart attack) and stroke (a common cause of disability and death).

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