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- Author, Drafting
- Role, BBC News World
Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that anyone can suffer from.
It is estimated that 422 million people live with diabetes around the world, four times more than 40 years ago, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Diabetes occurs when the body cannot process all the glucose in the bloodstream.
Glucose is not bad, on the contrary, it is the fuel for all the cells in the body.
Some tissues, in order to use this glucose, require the action of insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas that makes it easier for this sugar to enter the cell, and thus be transformed into energy.
Complications of diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and lower extremity amputation.
Despite the risks, many people who have diabetes do not know it. Lifestyle changes can prevent it in many cases.
On World Diabetes Day, which is commemorated this November 14, at BBC Mundo we investigate the most frequent questions that users raise on the Google search engine about diabetes and we ask them to three specialists.
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1. What are the first symptoms of diabetes? And in children?
“Usually, a doctor warns a patient that he or she has type 2 diabetes based on the results of laboratory tests that measure the level of sugar in the blood. Most patients with type 2 diabetes do not have symptoms. The symptoms are more common in patients with type 1 diabetes, when levels remain very high for a long time.
Fatigue, thirst, hunger, excessive urination, blurred vision, and weight loss may develop,” he says. Victor Montori, endocrinologist doctor specializing in diabetes at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
- “In children, the presentation of diabetes is frequently type 1. The symptoms are generally more intense and occur in a shorter time: intense thirst, weight loss, frequent urination, tiredness, drowsiness.” – José Agustín Mesa Pérez, endocrinologist and president of the Latin American Diabetes Association.
- “In recent decades we have had an alarming increase in cases of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, linked to increased obesity and sedentary lifestyle habits.” Dr. Fabiana Vazquez, member of the Argentine Diabetes Society.
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2. When is blood sugar dangerous?
“On an empty stomach, the normal blood sugar level is 70 to 110 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). After meals, these values rise, but insulin ensures that they return to the normal range quickly (usually 2 hours “Values greater than 180 mg/dl sustained for more than 2 hours are toxic to cells, and if repeated many times they can cause permanent damage to them, especially to the kidneys, eyes, heart and nerves in the legs.”
- “In the long run, the entire body is affected if the values are high. Therefore, people with diabetes should have blood glucose levels between 70 and 180 mg/dl most of the day.” – Dr. Fabiana Vazquez, member of the Argentine Diabetes Society.
- “The patient with type 2 diabetes can begin to become dehydrated when the sugar level exceeds 200 mg/dL, but people without any other problem can maintain high sugar levels without further danger. When the level is very high, for example above 300 mg /dL, the risk is greater and requires attention.” – Victor Montori, endocrinologist doctor specializing in diabetes at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
- “We must also talk about lower values. People who have diabetes, even those who have some complications, should avoid having glucose values below 70 mg/dl both while fasting and after eating food.” – José Agustín Mesa Pérez, endocrinologist and president of the Latin American Diabetes Association.
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3. What are the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
“In the classification of diabetes there are 4 types, but in practice it is expressed as type 1 or 2. Type 1 generally occurs in young people under 30 years of age, thin and who have no hereditary history of diabetes.”
- “It generally occurs with acute symptoms. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adults over 40 years of age, closely related to overweight or obesity, with an abdominal waist circumference measured at home above 80 cm in women and 90 cm in men. It is also associated with other risk factors, such as high triglycerides and high blood pressure and fatty liver. – José Agustín Mesa Pérez, endocrinologist and president of the Latin American Diabetes Association.
- “In type 1 diabetes, the proper use of insulin (a laborious and expensive task) offers these patients the possibility of a life without limitations. In patients with type 2 diabetes, as it is milder, the abnormalities can be controlled well with diet, exercise, stress management, and medications (pills, injections, insulin).” – Victor Montori, endocrinologist doctor specializing in diabetes at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
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4. Does diabetes have a cure? It can be avoided?
- “Diabetes cannot be cured, but if well controlled, the person can lead a normal life. There is no way to know who will have type 1 diabetes, nor a way to avoid it. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes has very clear triggering factors. Maintaining a normal weight Adequate nutrition, a healthy and balanced diet, and regular physical exercise can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in those with a genetic predisposition. – Dr. Fabiana Vazquez, member of the Argentine Diabetes Society.
- “Pancreas transplant is an aggressive alternative that resolves in many cases the lack of insulin in type 1 diabetes.” – Victor Montori, endocrinologist doctor specializing in diabetes at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
- “There is no cure and we must be very careful with the liars and charlatans who promise it. But it is a perfectly controllable chronic disease, and the earlier it is diagnosed and the more intense work is done to reduce risk factors, the easier it will be. avoid other complications. –José Agustín Mesa Pérez, endocrinologist and president of the Latin American Diabetes Association.
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5. What foods cause diabetes?
“None. There are no foods that can develop diabetes by themselves. The confusion comes because prehistoric man needed to save energy to be able to live and he achieved this through insulin-saving mechanisms.”
“But with the passage of time and the high availability of food we began to have problems: the consumption of excess energy that began to arrive with industrial development. And they were no longer natural foods, but canned foods for which digestion is not possible. is prepared. There began to be an excess of calories deposited in fatty tissue, in the liver, and in other structures. The consequence was the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc. -José Agustín Mesa Pérez, endocrinologist and president of the Latin American Diabetes Association.
“The adequate consumption of vegetables (both raw and cooked and of various colors) and fruits can help balance the diet and incorporate natural antioxidants that help prevent diabetes.”
“Diets rich in fats, especially if they are of animal origin, as well as simple carbohydrates (sugars) and manufactured foods are associated with a greater possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. Excessive fast foods and snacks is one of the causes of the greater frequency with which we detect type 2 diabetes in children. – Dr. Fabiana Vazquez, member of the Argentine Diabetes Society.
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