The silent killer
November is Diabetes Month and the sad reality is that the majority of the people who have the disease are not aware that they do, says Terence Pillay. It’s a silent killer.
An article I read on Health24.com recently quoted Larry Distiller, founder and managing director of the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Johannesburg as saying: “The diabetes tsunami is here. And South Africa is in trouble!”
It was not just a warning from information he sucked out of his thumb. Research shows that about four million people in South Africa suffer from diabetes. That’s a whopping 6% of the population. But according to Sharks dietician, Danielle Roberts, that percentage is hugely underestimated especially when you consider the number of people who remain un-diagnosed.
According to Distiller, it’s estimated that another five million South Africans have pre-diabetes, a condition where insulin resistance causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be type 2 diabetes.
The highest prevalence of diabetes is among the Indian population in South Africa (11-13%) as this group has a strong genetic predisposition for diabetes. This is followed by 8-10% in the coloured community, 5-8% among blacks and 4% among whites.
Globally, 366 million people have diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts this number to rise to 552 million by 2030.
The greatest increase in diabetes is expected to be in Africa – it’s predicted that the incidence of diabetes in Africa will have almost doubled by 2030. (There are currently 14.7 million diabetics in Africa, however, according to the IDF around 78% of Africans with diabetes are un-diagnosed.)
So for those who are still in the dark about diabetes, Health24.com breaks it down. There are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes (a condition where the body stops producing insulin, an essential hormone produced by the pancreas to convert glucose into energy); type 2 diabetes (a condition that develops over time where the body is unable to use insulin properly); and gestational diabetes (a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, genetics and lifestyle factors).
The majority of people in South Africa have type 2 diabetes, however many of these cases go un-diagnosed as there are very few symptoms initially. Symptoms for diabetes include fatigue, excessive thirst and urination, slow wound healing and skin infections, blurred vision and regular bouts of thrush. As these symptoms can be very mild and develop gradually, many people fail to recognise them as warning signs of diabetes.
According to Statistics South Africa, in 2012 fifty eight people died everyday of diabetes related health issues. In September this year it was reported that diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent diabetes) is the fifth highest cause of natural deaths in South Africa. It is the number one cause of natural deaths in the Western Cape.
More awareness is definitely needed when it comes to diabetes, as it is estimated that about 50 percent of people living with Diabetes are unaware they have the illness.
The Department of Health agreed with this view, “It is true that many deaths and complications could be avoided if people went for screening and if people sought health care earlier,” they said.
They are now including testing in routine clinic visits to address this.
But the problem lies with patients being given medication, but not information on diet, exercise, and monitoring blood glucose levels.
Sources:
It was not just a warning from information he sucked out of his thumb. Research shows that about four million people in South Africa suffer from diabetes. That’s a whopping 6% of the population. But according to Sharks dietician, Danielle Roberts, that percentage is hugely underestimated especially when you consider the number of people who remain un-diagnosed.
According to Distiller, it’s estimated that another five million South Africans have pre-diabetes, a condition where insulin resistance causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be type 2 diabetes.
The highest prevalence of diabetes is among the Indian population in South Africa (11-13%) as this group has a strong genetic predisposition for diabetes. This is followed by 8-10% in the coloured community, 5-8% among blacks and 4% among whites.
Globally, 366 million people have diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts this number to rise to 552 million by 2030.
The greatest increase in diabetes is expected to be in Africa – it’s predicted that the incidence of diabetes in Africa will have almost doubled by 2030. (There are currently 14.7 million diabetics in Africa, however, according to the IDF around 78% of Africans with diabetes are un-diagnosed.)
So for those who are still in the dark about diabetes, Health24.com breaks it down. There are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes (a condition where the body stops producing insulin, an essential hormone produced by the pancreas to convert glucose into energy); type 2 diabetes (a condition that develops over time where the body is unable to use insulin properly); and gestational diabetes (a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, genetics and lifestyle factors).
The majority of people in South Africa have type 2 diabetes, however many of these cases go un-diagnosed as there are very few symptoms initially. Symptoms for diabetes include fatigue, excessive thirst and urination, slow wound healing and skin infections, blurred vision and regular bouts of thrush. As these symptoms can be very mild and develop gradually, many people fail to recognise them as warning signs of diabetes.
According to Statistics South Africa, in 2012 fifty eight people died everyday of diabetes related health issues. In September this year it was reported that diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent diabetes) is the fifth highest cause of natural deaths in South Africa. It is the number one cause of natural deaths in the Western Cape.
More awareness is definitely needed when it comes to diabetes, as it is estimated that about 50 percent of people living with Diabetes are unaware they have the illness.
The Department of Health agreed with this view, “It is true that many deaths and complications could be avoided if people went for screening and if people sought health care earlier,” they said.
They are now including testing in routine clinic visits to address this.
But the problem lies with patients being given medication, but not information on diet, exercise, and monitoring blood glucose levels.
Sources:
Health24,con, International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Global Diabetes Atlas (5th edition), Dr Larry Distiller - Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology.