Sunday the 14th of November was observed as World Diabetes Day. The significance of the day can be gauged from the fact that 537 million adults or 1 in 10 adults around the world are living with diabetes. Diabetes mellitus or diabetes is a chronic health condition in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired. This results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Most of the food we eat is broken down into sugar or glucose and released into the bloodstream. When the blood sugar goes up, it signals the pancreas to release insulin. Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage your nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.
What are the various types of diabetes?
- Type 1 diabetes. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas which produces insulin is made. 10 percent of people with diabetes have this type.
- Type 2 diabetes. It is a condition in which the body becomes resistant to insulin and sugar builds up in the blood.
- Prediabetes. It is a condition in which the blood sugar is higher than normal, but it is not high enough to be considered as Type 2 diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes. It is the high blood sugar condition during pregnancy. This is caused by the insulin-blocking hormones produced by the placenta.
Symptoms of diabetes include excess hunger, excess thirst, weight loss, frequent urination, fatigue, wounds that do not heal and blurred vision.
Diabetes causes complications like heart diseases, stroke, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, infections in the foot, skin diseases, depression, dementia and loss of vision and hearing.
Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are two of the most common causes of Type 2 diabetes. These cause 95 % of the diabetes cases in the US.
World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day was first observed in 1991 by International Diabetic Federation and World Health Organization in response to the rising concerns about the severe health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006. The day observed every year on 14th November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin with Charles Best in 1922.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of 240 national diabetes associations in 168 countries and territories, representing the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. IDF’s mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and cure worldwide. It is engaged in actions to tackle diabetes from the local to the global level, from programmes at community level to worldwide awareness and advocacy initiatives.
WDD is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The WDD campaign aims to be the platform that promotes IDF advocacy efforts throughout the year and act as a global driver to promote the importance of taking coordinated and concerted actions
to confront diabetes as a critical global health issue.
The theme for World Diabetes Day campaign 2021-23 is Access to Diabetes Care – If Not Now, When?
It goes without saying that keeping diabetes at bay is absolutely essential to achieve holistic health. Let us do out bit to spread awareness about this condition and how to prevent it.
