What everybody should know about diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes in most cases develops in people in the middle age or older, and is closely associated with sedentary lifestyle, overcalorific nutrition and obesity.

In turn, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease contracted primarily by children and adolescents. As a result of the defective functioning of the immune system, beta cells of the pancreas, responsible for producing insulin – a hormone regulating glucose metabolism - are damaged. Insulin deficiencies result in elevated blood glucose levels.

Causes

In the recent years we have observed an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, and the age of persons suffering from the disease is constantly getting lower. According to the specialists, this is associated with the spreading of obesity, sedentary lifestyle and overcalorific nutrition.

“We should not eat sweets at all, as this is the type of energy which should be immediately consumed. If we eat five candy bars, we should go to a rail siding and unload a wagon of coal. If we eat in front of a computer and do not burn the calories, our system transforms the consumed energy into fat. If overweight develops in a person who is not able to produce enough insulin, the person has diabetes" – states Professor Leszek Czupryniak, President of the Polish Diabetology Association (PTD).

The risk of type 2 diabetes concerns, among others, persons who have been diagnosed with too high blood glucose level, people with hypertension, with raised cholesterol or triglycerides levels, with circulatory system diseases, and women who had gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing over 4 kg.

Symptoms

Diabetes starts on average 3-6 years before it can be diagnosed. It can develop without any symptoms for quite a long time, and later they progress slowly and are easy to ignore. For instance, some of the symptoms are a slight increase of thirst, minor weight loss, increased sleepiness and fatigue.

For this reason diabetes is often diagnosed only when complications occur, such as circulatory system diseases, kidney failure, vision impairment or the diabetic foot syndrome. In half of the cases the disease is diagnosed when at least one complication appears.

What are the methods of early diagnosis?

The simplest method of diagnosing diabetes is a blood sugar test. However, according to specialists, active searching for people suffering from diabetes is necessary. Therefore, physicians should be encouraged to recommend tests allowing early diagnosis of the disease in question.

Since 2012 the Ministry of Health has implemented the “National Programme of Diabetes Prophylactics and Education". The programme consists of educational activities addressed to diabetic patients and their families. Moreover, training sessions are organised for nurses and midwives preparing for work as diabetes educator.

Poland among the leading European countries

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) globally 366 million people suffer from diabetes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the IDF claim that the number of diabetic patients will be rising exponentially. In 2030 their number may reach 550 million, and in Poland alone – 4.8 million.

As shown in the report titled “Diabetes: the hidden pandemic and its impact on Poland," currently in Poland there are at least 3 million people with diabetes, one third of which has not been diagnosed yet.

In the ranking prepared by IDF Poland ranks fourth in Europe in terms of the incidence of diabetes, following Russia, Portugal and Cyprus.