- by Alexander Vasquez
- BBC World Service
image source, Alexander Vasquez
New research published on World Diabetes Day (Nov. 14) shows that one in four people with diabetes do not receive the support they need to treat the disease.
International Diabetes Federation According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), about 26% of people do not have enough information and knowledge about their symptoms when consulting a doctor. This makes them unable to cope well with the disease. Increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, kidney failure, blindness, leg amputation, and mental health problems
The study was based on data from an online survey of 3,208 people with diabetes or other health workers working in the field. from countries such as Brazil, India and Nigeria.
For myself who is diabetic Sadly, the results of this survey are nothing short of surprising.
A diagnosis has been made but there is not enough information.
After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7 while living in Costa Rica I understand how stressful and anxious it is for people with diabetes to grow up not knowing much about their disease. I was diagnosed with diabetes as a side effect of medication for Brittle Bone Disease. I now have to use a wheelchair.
back to adolescence I don’t have a glucose sensor, so I’m always worried about whether I’ve taken my insulin that day or not. Or injected twice for fear that the blood sugar level will be low to a risky level
I only came to learn more about this condition after moving to the UK at the age of 25. Now that I have the knowledge and tools from the National Health Service (NHS), I am more confident when making decisions. many things each day
image source, Clementine
Anna Lucia (right) and her mother Clementina.
I tried contacting other people with diabetes. and spoke to Anna Lucia from Mexico. She was diagnosed when she was 8 years old. She became a child who could not eat sweets.
lack of support and education about the disease Affecting both Anna Lucia and her mother Clementina.
Clementina says The school should have a special teaching about this. and plans for what to do if a student has this disease
what is diabetes
- Diabetes is an incurable disease.
- Caused by the body’s inability to control blood sugar levels. Because there is a problem with the hormone insulin.
- There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.
Today, Anna Lucia is 17 years old. Her symptoms are under control, but mostly on her own.
However, she said it was sometimes very tired. “I can sleep very little because I have to measure my blood sugar. or wait hours to inject insulin.”
Now that she’s started wearing an over-the-counter blood glucose monitor called the Freestyle Libre, she says it would have been nice to have the technology to help in the first place, even if friends and family were very supportive. She said it was sometimes difficult to deal with the stress of homework and school exams.
impact on mental health
image source, Getty Images
Professor Andrew Bolton, president of the International Diabetes Federation, said that if people with diabetes “Not getting the right knowledge This can cause anxiety and, of course, cause depression.”
Research suggests that health workers need to be more knowledgeable. Less than half of the surveyed said they could notice their depression as a result of diabetes.
According to the survey results, 1 in 5 or 20% of survey respondents. Ever experienced depression as a result of diabetes
what to do
image source, Getty Images
Prof Bolton said people with diabetes need to be informed by experts. not social media The survey indicated that “People with diabetes take care of themselves 99% of the time.” A person with this disease spends only 3 hours per year consulting with a specialist.
The International Diabetes Federation says they are trying to fix the problem. There are now 240 federation member organizations working to help people with diabetes in more than 160 countries with the goal of preventing and treating the disease through online education.
“Diabetes is a global problem. We now have close to 600 million people worldwide with diabetes,” Prof Bolton said. “Everyone should be treated and educated, wherever they are in the world.”