“Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.” (worlddiabetesday.org)
Yesterday - the 14th of November was the world diabetes day. Just like with other world wide days, also this one has a different theme every year. This year the theme is family and diabetes: about family being part of the support network and being affected by diabetes. For example parents are struggling in seeing the warning signs of diabetes in their children. Worldwide half of the people with diabetes are being left undiagnosed. Around 212 million people around the globe have diabetes. The complications from diabetes can be very severe. It can cause blindness, amputation, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke. In 2017 diabetes was responsible for 4 million deaths.
The International Diabetes Federation is urging people to test their diabetes knowledge and assess their risk of type 2 diabetes. You can do this easily by doing this Quiz and Assessment. For the assessment you will have to know your circumference.
In this blog post we will try to increase your knowledge about diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the more common one, but in the USA there are still around 2 millions Americans with type 1 diabetes. Finland, alongside Sweden, have the highest rates of newly diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes 1 runs is families but it's not purely genetic. It's seems to be a combination of genes, environmental factors and the immune system that trigger diabetes 1.
Diabetes 1 also often begins in childhood but it's still possible for adults to .
The difference between diabetes 1 and diabetes 2 is that people with D1 don't produce insulin, whereas people with D2 just don't produce insulin as well as they should.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can be inherited but mere heredity will rarely cause it. Urbanisation is one factor that has made diabetes more common (unhealthy lifestyle). All that you have to do to prevent it is:
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Adopt a healthy lifestyle
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Eat healthy and exercise (IDF recommends physical activity at least between three to five days a week, for a minimum of 30-45 minutes)
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If you know that someone in your family has or had diabetes, make sure that you are aware of the risks, know the warning signs and know how to prevent it
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To help your friends and family, try to influence others in a positive way
For the family and other people affected life can be made easier by:
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Managing diabetes on a regular basis
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Professionals should know what they are doing
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Education about diabetes is important
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The medicines should be easily available for anyone
The medicine for diabetes is insulin. It helps glucose get into the cells. If the body is not able to produce insulin or use it effectively, it leads to raised glucose levels in the blood.
If you want to know more about WDD (World Diabetes Day) and especially type 2 diabetes check this website: https://worlddiabetesday.org/
Sources
Www.healthline.com
Diabetes.org
Written by
Susanna Ailanto (National Health and Well-being Coordinator)
Tiia Niskanen (National Social Inclusion Coordinator)