World Diabetes Day: Tips on self-care for diabetics

Nov 14, 2019

According to WHO by 2014, 422 million people were living with diabetes, this is projected to rise to 600 million by 2025.

HEALTH

Diabetes affects both children and adults. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with the disease.

The World Health Organisation defines diabetes as a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

According to WHO by 2014, 422 million people were living with diabetes, this is projected to rise to 600 million by 2025. The global prevalence of diabetes among adults over 18 years of age has risen by 2014 was at 8.5%.

The prevalence is reported to be rising more rapidly in middle- and low-income countries. In 2016, an estimated 1.6 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes.

Dr. William Lumu, the President of Uganda Diabetes Association, says that in Uganda, the prevalence is between 0.4% and 9%. 

He said though there are about 400,000 Ugandans living with diabetes, only 100,000 are aware of their status.

The youngest person so far to be diagnosed with diabetes was three months old at the time of diagnosis.

He noted that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, stroke and lower limb amputation in Uganda.

However, he noted that even with these grave conditions, only about 65% of people living with the disease get information on diabetes, only 30% have glucometers for testing blood sugar levels, only 11.5% have had their eyes checked, only 2.2% do feet checks, only 4.8% do dental checks and only 32% have their kidneys checked.

He also noted that with physical activity, a healthy diet, adhering to medication and maintaining a normal body, one can be able to lead a longer healthier life.

How diabetics should care of themselves

Dr.Thereza Piloya-Were, a senior lecturer and paediatric endocrinologist at the department of paediatrics and child health, Makerere University said the first step to managing diabetes is testing for the sugar levels in the body to ensure that the sugar is balanced.

"That (the test) tells you whether to adjust your sugar or not using the tablets or insulin. Unfortunately in our setting, very few people are testing at home because they can't afford testing kits," she said.

She revealed that testing at home costs a minimum of sh50, 000 for adults in two months while for children, it's about sh50, 000 in one month because they test more because of the insulin injections they are subjected to daily.

Treatment

The second care regimen is adhering to treatment. Piloya stated that people on insulin need to take it as regularly as recommended to facilitate digestion.

"If you don't take insulin then you can't eat because whatever you will eat remains on the blood and can't go into the body cells. So they need the drugs to push the blood into the cells for body function," she said.

She noted that when the food fails to enter the bloodstream, the blood system gets clogged and a diabetic will find themselves urinating frequently.

Diet

Diet is also very crucial for people with diabetes. The diet should be balanced with lots of vegetables and fruits.

"The only thing we should be avoiding is the portion. Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. For a person with diabetes, almost half the plate should be vegetables. In a day one should take three to five servings of vegetables and fruits," she said.

She, however, warned that foods like posho and rice should be taken in moderation because they tend to raise the blood sugar. Salt intake should also be reduced because it is linked to high blood pressure.

Exercise

 Exercise, Piloya says is most important for people with type 2 diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus. She said exercise alone can improve one's blood sugar.

"When you start exercising the muscles become too sensitive to insulin and once you eat, the food easily gets into the cells. So exercise is so crucial to us in reducing the amount of drugs we need to take," she said.

Eye check

Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness. Adults with diabetes tend to suffer from retinal changes that affect the small vessels of the retina and can lead to blindness.

The condition known as retinography occurs when blood sugar levels are high for an extended period of time. This damages the capillaries that supply blood to the retina.

To monitor eye health, Piloya said diabetics need to annual check their eyes to make sure that any vision issues are detected early.

Feet care

With increasing years with diabetes, one's nerves gradually stop working and become insensitive to pain.

Piloya said a diabetic can reach a stage whereby they can knock their feet, or burn themselves but fail to feel the pain. At this stage, the wounds caused by such injuries may fail to heal and instead worsen, leading to limb amputation.

To avoid injury, she said that people with diabetes should not put on open shoes and sandles, and instead opt for closed, well-fitting and soft shoes.

 

Teeth care

People with diabetes have a lot of sugar in their bloodstream, and because of this, germs tend to come and chew on the sugar especially in areas around the teeth.

Piloya warned that if diabetics do not care for their teeth, they may end up with infects leading to loss of teeth and threatening their lives.

Kidneys

Diabetes hits the kidney like any other organ in the body. Regular checks through urinalysis for traces of proteins in the urine will help in early detection of renal failure.

"Don't wait for your body to start swelling, test regularly for early intervention," Piloya warned.

Heart check

The disease tends to have a grave effect on the heart. When the heart is affected, Piloya said one can become impotent. Therefore, one needs to check their heart regularly.

Education

Education, though often ignored, is very important to a diabetic. They need to know how to manage the disease. Since the biggest part of care is self-care.

"Every patient needs an enormous amount of information in regards to diabetes. It's the cornerstone in management. If we do not give them the right information, however many drugs we give them, however many insulin injections you are giving, you are wasting your time," said Piloya.

Diabetes can hit every part of the body so self-care is so crucial.

 

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