November 14 – World Diabetes Day
The first World Diabetes Day was held by the IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and the World Health Organization on November 14, 1991, to coordinate the fight against diabetes worldwide. Each year, World Diabetes Day reaches millions of people worldwide and unites diabetic communities in 145 countries with the noble goal of raising awareness of diabetes and its complications.
The urgency of the problem is due to the increasing incidence of diabetes. It has been established that the number of people with diabetes doubles every 12-15 years. Mass screening surveys have shown that in developed countries, 2 to 4% of the population suffers from severe forms of diabetes. In addition, another 4-6% have latent disease or borderline forms of diabetes, which are referred to as “impaired glucose tolerance” and should be corrected by preventive measures.
The attention of scientists from all countries is focused on the problem of the prevalence of diabetes and the steady increase in the incidence rate by 5-7% among different segments of the population.
Diabetes mellitus belongs to the cohort of non-communicable diseases and the cohort of metabolic diseases.
The situation with diabetes in Ukraine is currently worse than in the European Union and cannot be compared. Today, the number of patients in Ukraine is significantly increasing and will continue to grow in the future. In 2023, 531,200 people were diagnosed with diabetes because one of the etiological factors is stress. The population of Ukraine has been facing various stressful situations every minute for 10 years. Stress affects multiple components of health: physical, mental, and social, and contributes to the development of diabetes.
Patients generally complain of dry mucous membranes and skin, increased thirst, itching of the entire surface of the body’s skin or localized areas, nocturia (nighttime urination), and poor wound healing.
Diabetes Mellitus can be detected in the laboratory:
- blood for HbA1c (glucose tolerance test in 2 dimensions), HbA1c – glycated hemoglobin, HOMA index – insulin resistance index;
- postprandial glycemic level (2 hours after eating);
- determination of glucose in the urine (complete urine sample);
- condition of the pancreas and liver on abdominal ultrasound.
Prophylactic measures to prevent the development of diabetes should be aimed at:
- physical activity,
- prevention of viral infections (which also cause the development of diabetes),
- rational nutrition, preservation of mental health.
Ukrainian Law No. 25 73 of October 1, 2022, “On Public Health”, emphasizes that everyone should care for their health.
Olena Mykhailenko,
Candidate of Medical Sciences,
Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Epidemiology of Non-Infectious Diseases and Medical Informatics
State Institution «Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine»
(date of publication on the website 14.11.2024)