Ref: CHB/Flash/2006/11                                                                                           Date: 28th March 2006

CHB NEWS FLASH

The number of diabetes cases in our community is increasing each year, pausing greater health problems and sufferings for individuals and families. We would urge you to go through the Power Point Slides on diabetes for better understanding about the disease, how to prevent it.

What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body either fails to produce any insulin (type 1, also called insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset), or the insulin that it does produce is unable to adequately trigger the conversion of food into energy (type 2, also called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset).
 

Who is at greatest risk for developing diabetes?

People who: are 45 or over
• are overweight
• are habitually physically inactive
• have previously been identified as having IFG (impaired fasting glucose) or IGT (impaired glucose tolerance)
• have a family history of diabetes
• have had gestational diabetes or have given birth to a child weighing more than 9 pounds
• have elevated blood pressure
• have an HDL cholesterol level (the “good” cholesterol) of 35 mg/dl or lower and/or a triglyceride level of 250 mg/dl or higher
• have polycystic ovary syndrome
• have a history of vascular disease
 

What are the long-term complications of diabetes?

• People with diabetes are two to four more times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than those who don't have
  diabetes.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults between 20 and 74 years old.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of treated end-stage kidney disease.
• More than 60 percent of the limb amputations occur among people with diabetes.
• About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe nerve damage.

 

 “Community’s health – CHB's priority”