Wednesday marks the annual edition of the World Diabetes Day. The prevalence of diabetes in China has increased substantially over recent decades, with more than 100 million people estimated to be affected by the disease presently.
Mr. Ye is 32 years old and has been diagnosed with diabetes five years ago. However, he refused to take medicine and continued to eat oily and salty food. He was afflicted with complications in April this year.
According to doctors, diabetes is not deadly in its own right. Its biggest harm lies in various complications that affect the eyes, kidneys, heart and blood vessels. Family aggregation is commonplace as diabetes is closely related to lifestyle. High-risk groups with a family history need to monitor blood sugar regularly for early diagnosis and treatment. In particular, some "pre-diabetes" people need to be more vigilant.
Pre-diabetes people refers to those whose fasting blood glucose is higher than normal 6.1, but less than 7, orthose whose blood sugar is between 7.8 and 11.1 two hours after the meal, said Jin Hui, director of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University. It is necessary for them to go to the hospital for a doctor's check so as to prevent the onset of diabetes, he added.
Doctors reminded that in addition to drug-based treatment, the most important thing to prevent and control diabetes is to start with a good lifestyle by sticking to a low-salt and low-fat diet and increase exercise. For people with refractory and metabolic syndrome, it is also possible to try interventional therapy to improve islet function and control blood sugar.
World Diabetes Day was launched in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to the rapid rise of diabetes around the world. This year’s theme is "Women and Diabetes - our right to a healthy future" and will promote the importance of affordable and equitable access for all women at risk for or living with diabetes.
(Source: ourjiangsu.com)
