This Tuesday, November 14, marks World Diabetes Day. One day is not enough to prevent and learn more about this disease that claims the life of one person every 10 seconds in the world.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, around 537 million adults between 20 and 79 years of age have diabetes in the world; representing 10% of the world population in this age group. The total number of adults suffering from the disease is expected to increase to 784 million by 2045, an increase of 46%.
According to United Nations figures, every five seconds a person develops diabetes, every 10 seconds someone dies from it and every 30 seconds a limb is lost as a result of their condition.
In Colombia, High Cost Account reports indicate that three out of every 100 people have diabetes. However, it is estimated that the real number is much higher and one in 10 people in the country suffers from this disease, and this is because almost half of the individuals with this pathology do not know that they are sick. Likewise, 77.7% of people diagnosed with diabetes in Colombia are 55 years old or older.
“Diabetes is the number one cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, the number one cause of amputation, and a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes. It is a chronic disease recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), which compromises the emotional, physical and metabolic sphere of the patient, which is why it requires a comprehensive approach. For this reason, our objective is to generate a space in which people can access first-class information, created directly by specialists, on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.,” emphasizes Dr. Katherine Restrepo, president of the Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (ACE).
Diabetes is a complicated disease that imposes large health and financial burdens on societies (International Diabetes Federation). Taking into account the dimension and variety of its consequences, it is important that a synchronized and multidisciplinary approach be adopted against the disease and its risk factors.
“This silent disease can develop in people without showing symptoms at first. “The more we learn about diabetes and the risk it represents to our body, the more prepared we will be as a society to make better decisions that allow us to live healthier lives, reducing the chances of developing the disease,” says Dr. Liliana Orozco, founder of the Yo Also Vivo con Diabetes Foundation, an endocrinologist and diabetologist who has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was 8 years old.
According to the World Health Organization, diabetes is a chronic disease that lasts a lifetime, however, it can be treated and its consequences can be avoided or postponed with adequate nutrition, physical activity and appropriate medication. Its treatment varies according to the patient’s health conditions, focusing on healthy lifestyle habits and medication.
Symptoms of diabetes can range from lack of energy, frequent urination, thirst, constant hunger, to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes, among others. Raising awareness in society is increasingly important, since poorly controlled diabetes increases the chances of these complications and premature mortality.
World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year, on November 14, to raise awareness about this disease; It was established by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991 and became the official United Nations Day in 2006.
The Colombian Association of Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism will hold the forum ‘DÍABETES, ONE DAY IS NOT ENOUGH’, an initiative in conjunction with the El Bosque University, the Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation, Prome+ and the ‘I also live with diabetes’ foundation, to raise awareness among the population and invite all actors involved in the prevention, control and treatment of this disease to constantly add efforts to mitigate its impact. The event will take place on November 14 at the University facilities.
About the Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (ACE)
The Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, ACE, is a non-profit scientific entity, made up of health professionals specialized in endocrinology, a branch of medicine that is responsible for the study of hormones, substances that travel through through the blood throughout the body, producing specific effects, the deficiency or excess of which causes the following diseases: diabetes, obesity, thyroid diseases, osteoporosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, pituitary disorders, cholesterol, menopause, impotence, among other.
Source: Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
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