World Diabetes Day, celebrated on 14th of November every year is an awareness campaign aiming at promoting the condition, prevention and control of diabetes. For this year, the theme is “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps” to put more emphasis on equal opportunity for people with diabetes to receive adequate healthcare services. They called me and offered to take deep into what this day represents, the background, and more to the recent day, the gory and emergent steps in the fight against diabetes.
In 1991, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) established World Diabetes Day to commemorate the birth of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-developed insulin in 1922. This day was adopted by the United Nations in 2006, and is the largest global campaign to end diabetes. Thus the objectives of the World Diabetes Day include promoting awareness about the common symptoms of diabetes as well as the need early diagnose and treatment.
Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease caused by high blood sugar levels which are either due to the lack of insulin, this hormone reduces blood sugar or the body is unable to use the insulin properly. Its types include:
- Type 1 Diabetes: The cells of the pancreas are attacked by the body’s immune system and little or no insulin is produced.
- Type 2 Diabetes: The body cells become resistant to this hormone and the blood glucose level rises as a result of this failure. It is the type of diabetes seen most frequently in the world and can be linked to obesity, lack of physical activity and heredity.
- Gestational Diabetes: This type happens during pregnancy and often clears up after giving birth but can cause the later form or type 2 diabetes later in life.
Current Challenges
Diabetes, a chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, remains to be a particularly problematic disease all over the world. All these challenges cut across health care organizations, societies, and people’s lives. Here, we take a look at the many-faceted topic that makes diabetes a dangerous condition in today’s society.
- High Incidence and Growing Public Health Concern: International Diabetes Foundation estimated that 537 million adults (20-79 years old) were affected with diabetes in 2021 and this value may reach 643 million in 2030. It is therefore becoming increasingly widespread, which puts pressure on health care systems and underlines the importance of prevention and control of this disease.
- Economic Impact: Taking a snapshot at the current level of the economic burden of this disease, one can hardly describe it in any other terms than mammoth. Diabetes regretfully has a huge price tag due to management costs such as medicines, monitoring gadgets, and admissions to the hospital as well as missed work. In United State of America, in 2017 the total cost of diagnosed diabetes was $327 billion. This is in form of $237 billion impressed on medical expenses and additional $90 billion on resultant loss of productivity. The economic losses go down to individuals and families that expend a lot of fiscal energy paying for medical bills and receiving low earnings because of the sickness.
- Health Care and Medicines: The option for quality diabetes care is still a big problem, more so in developing nations. Depending on the type of diabetes that is prevalent, the patient is unable to purchase important products, including insulin and other related products; or take a chance of not being able to access facilities that specialize in diabetes care and qualified personnel’s service. Such disparities mean that patient outcomes are worse at managing diseases and suffering complications.
- Early Diagnosis and Awareness: Diabetes can be managed we need to make sure that it is diagnosed as soon as possible especially during the initial period of the disease. Nevertheless, many people are still asymptomatic and have not been diagnosed because there is scant screening. Symptoms of diabetes which include frequent urination, increased thirst and unexplained weight loss are sometimes unnoticed or mistaken for something else. Diabetes can be detected early by raising awareness of the general population about the symptoms of the disease, as well as through efficient screening for the problem.
- Management of Complications: The condition may result in cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, blindness, or need for lower limb amputations. The treatment of these complications necessitates a team approach, simple follow-up, adjustments in behaviour and culture, and more importantly a complete medical regimen. But most of the health facilities’ health systems do not have the capacity and required expertise to manage these complications. Strengthening the ability of the health care systems to deal with complications of diabetes Mellitus is critical in low and middle-income countries where burden of diabetes is projected to rise in the coming years.
- Lifestyle Factors in the Prevention: Various lifestyle dominants that include improper diet, lack of exercise, and obesity are the main causes of type 2 diabetes. A core responsibility of preventing diabetes involves discouraging risky health practices through education, outreach, policymaking, and organizing in public health, civil society organizations, and other setting. Nevertheless, translating these concepts into modifications of existing practices and development of conditions that would favour healthier choices still remains a problem. To eliminate these risk factors, enhanced awareness, mobilization of public health programs, legislation to ensure good foods and equal physical activity are crucial.
- Psychological and social impact: Diabetes do not only affect a person physically, but also psychologically and socially while surviving with it. Stress, anxiety and depression may arise from the daily processes of monitoring the next meal to plan, the next insulin injection, or the need to change the physiologic and behavioural habits that produce undesirable fluctuations in blood glucose concentrations. Social stigma and discrimination associated with diabetes can further exacerbate these challenges. Providing psychological support, fostering supportive communities, and addressing stigma are important aspects of comprehensive diabetes care.
- Technology Update and Development: However, this review shows that there are remaining issues about the deployment of technology to address diabetes problems such as the access and cost of these technologies. Modern devices for glucose measurement, insulin administration and telemedicine platforms have changed the face of diabetes care but they are still expensive. It is therefore important to extend this important resources or technologies in a fair way in order to enhance diabetes management and its outcomes.
Efforts to Combat Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious health problem which affects a large portion of population on the globe. It presents a difficulty not merely to the person but also to health care and even economies. It has become admirably clear that the problem of tackling this epidemic will take a three-pronged strategic approach of prevention, management, and innovation. Here are some of the efforts that are being made in the fight against diabetes on international level.
Out-Reach Programmes
There is need to educate and create awareness among the public on the ramifications of the condition commonly referred to as diabetes. National and international health organizations, NGOs, and governments are spending fund on the awareness campaign about Risk factors for diabetes, symptoms, and complications of the disease. Thus these campaigns seek to promote modify behaviors such as diets, exercise, and weight loss to prevent type 2 diabetes.
For instance, the World Diabetes Day which is celebrated every November 14th is used to create awareness and highlight the need to improve of diabetes health. Information regarding diabetes prevention and management is best imparted through educational programs carried out in schools, workplace and the community.
Access to healthcare services and infrastructure
It is crucial to increase the availability of quality and timely care of people with diabetes. Most governments are also trying to improve health; especially those related to diagnosis, management, and control of diabetes in their nations. This includes training individuals within the field of health, developing capacity of the health care industry and ensuring the stocks of vital heath care commodities are within the reach of the populace.
This is evidenced by the creation of diabetes clinics and centres of excellence that offer care to people with diabetes. These centres provide care, testing of blood glucose, dietary advice, prescription of drugs and systematic check-ups among patients.
Technological Innovations
Today knowing one has a case of diabetes is not a death sentence, as facilities and technology used for carrying out tests are available, and patients are easily monitoring their conditions. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps and smartphone applications have revolutionized the way diabetes is diagnosed and managed. The boosted technologies enhance real-time data supporting improved blood sugar levels and fewer complications.
However, the use of telemedicine has also been identified as an important method of managing care for diabetic patients especially in limited and hard to reach regions. People with diabetes can get medical advice, get prescribed and monitor their illness without the need to physically visit a doctor through virtual consultations.
Research and Development
Research and development is important in combating diabetes constantly. The medical branch and other experts are dedicating large amounts of time trying to understand how the disease works and how to create new treatments and potential cures. This comprises the consideration of genetic factors by both the candidate and the body, examination of the relations between the body and the microbiome, and identifying new treatment procedures.
Clinical trials have a crucial task of evaluating new therapies, drugs, and medical treatments. Inter-sectorial collaboration between universities, pharmaceutical firms, and government agencies is necessary to increase the rates of innovation and return treatment.
Policy and Advocacy
Policy and advocacy play a central role in combating problems that are system related to diabetes. National and international organizations are making efforts to incorporate and adopt policies that foster health supportive environments and facilitate cure for diabetes. These include Regulations on food and its labelling, ban on sweet drinks, roles on incentives for exercise.
Consumer advocacy organisations and patient associations provide support and advocacy assistance at community level and push for desirable changes in policies affecting people with diabetes. They advocate for the rights of people with disabilities including those diagnosed with diabetes with the aim of attaining a voice in policy making.
Community Engagement
Community support and engagement are vital in managing diabetes and preventing its complications. Support group, community health workers, and peer educators offer the required materials and emotional support for diabetic patients. These initiatives assist people to make diabetes related decisions, interact with others via the use of the internet and find assistance from local organizations.
Testing the existence of social norm support for community programs, including diabetes prevention program and wellness programs, it draws the attention to the need for people to be supportive of healthy living. Community, school and workplace engagement is critical in order to progress the culture health and well-being agenda.