THEY ARE
the reason why Filipinos have diabetes. Their blarneys are so sweeeeet that they sound believable with their promises. Can't blame fellows too who believe these sweet talking politicians "kase naman, talagang mahilig sa matamis ang pinoy e."They don't just give the Filipino electorate diabetes.. They actually cause many complications.
REMEMBER:
walang namamatay sa diabetes.
death is caused by complications because of diabetes.
Complicated, huh?
MANILA, Philippines
As many as 1.4 million Filipino adults (aged 20 and above) acquired diabetes in the last five years mainly because of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles, according to data compiled by anti-diabetes advocates.
The data, presented by the International Diabetes Federation in their Diabetes Atlas for 2009, put the number of Filipino adults with Type 2 or acquired diabetes at 3.4 million out of a 51-million adult population, with 4.9 million more on the brink of developing diabetes.
It is increasing at an alarming rate,? said Dr. Tommy Ty Willing, president and chairman of Diabetes Philippines.
He said the estimate is that in the next 20 years, more than half of the adult population worldwide will have diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body can not effectively use the insulin it produces.
Kidney disease is the top complication of diabetes; other complications are heart attack, stroke, nerve disease that can lead to amputation of lower limbs and eye disease.
Warning signs include frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, lack of interest and concentration, vomiting and stomach pain (which is often mistaken for flu), a tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet. Other signs include blurred vision, frequent infections and slow-healing wounds.
With about 285 million adult diabetics worldwide, the United Nations has mandated observance of World Diabetes Day every Nov. 14, with Understand Diabetes and Take Control? as this year' s theme.
That is the theme for the next five years because there are still many wrong conceptions about diabetes,? Ty Willing said.
He said type 2 diabetes can be prevented by maintaining healthy weight and being physically active. Regular walking for at least 30 minutes per day has been shown to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 35 to 40 per cent.
In the Philippines, according to the IDF data, the latest prevalence rate for diabetes is 6.7 per cent of the population which translates to 3.4 million out of an adult population of 51 million.
The prevalence rate for impaired glucose tolerance is a higher 9.6 per cent which translates to 4.8 million people at risk of developing diabetes.
In 2003, the prevalence rate for diabetes was four percent.
?That's a big jump in the last five years, because that translates to over one million people who developed diabetes in a short period,? Ty Willing said.
"We blame lifestyle, unhealthy diet and less activity. Our being Asian is also a risk factor even if there is no family history of diabetes, because the Asian race is at higher risk of developing diabetes which is already the subject of a study," he said.
Diabetes becomes a "double burden" for people in the lower income brackets, he said, because there are many complications of diabetes.
Diabetes becomes a "double burden" for people in the lower income brackets, he said, because there are many complications of diabetes.
There are a lot of diabetics with tuberculosis. It's very hard for our poor countrymen,? Ty Willing said.
He estimated that a Type 2 diabetic needs at least P106 a day just for maintenance drugs, assuming he buys the cheapest generic drugs. The patient needs to spend about P1,000 more every two to three months for regular blood tests. And then there is the dialysis of at least twice a week, although the ideal is every other day, which ranges from P2,000 to P5,000 per session.
As you get more complications, you will need more medicines. The daily minimum wage is not enough. And if only one member of the family is earning, that's easily a loss of at least P100 a day,? he said.
Along with the jump in diabetic patients among adults, doctors are also alarmed that those with acquired diabetes are younger.
Usually Type 2 diabetes develops among the middle-aged group between 40 to 50 years old. Now even high school students have Type 2 diabetes which was very rare before,? he said.
He blamed little physical activity among the young, coupled with taking high-calorie diet from fastfood restaurants. But even among the poor, he said, there is also malnutrition-related diabetes because of food they take that destroys the pancreas.
No comments:
Post a Comment