Health Tips

It's World Diabetes Day! ¹

Image from: World Diabetes Day

Diabetes, along with its growing health threats, has been a concern among people. This is the reason why World Diabetes Day was launched in 1991 as a response from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). ¹

Marked every year on the 14th of November, World Diabetes Day (WDD) is not only an official United Nations (UN) awareness day, but it is also the biggest diabetes awareness campaign in the world. ¹

Let us understand more about diabetes this World Diabetes Day!

How does diabetes affect my health?

The high blood glucose level in diabetic patients can cause damage to their bodies, possibly leading to serious and dangerous health complications. ⁴ Some common diabetic complications include:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD)

Also known as heart disease, CVD is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality (death) for people with diabetes, accounting for one-third to half of all deaths. ⁴

Kidney damage

Diabetes is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. From 2003 to 2016, Malaysia recorded the highest average yearly increase in the incidence rate of treated end-stage renal disease (ESRD, also known as end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure) due to diabetes as the primary cause. ^5,6,7

Diabetic retinopathy (DR)

Do you know that diabetes is the cause of 2.6% of global blindness? Diabetic retinopathy is caused by long-term cumulative damage to the retina’s small blood vessels. However, it can still be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment, which is why DR screening is important for diabetic individuals. ^4,5

Nerve damage in the feet

When nerve damage (neuropathy) is combined with restricted blood flow in the feet, the risk of foot ulcers, infection, and the eventual need for lower limb amputation (the surgical removal of a body part) increases. ^5,8

Learn more about diabetes and heart disease/ kidney disease here:

Can diabetes affect my heart?	Diabetes hurt your kidney too?

These complications might sound scary, but do note that it is possible for them to be delayed or prevented altogether as long as diabetes is properly managed. ⁴

Access to Diabetes Care

The theme of World Diabetes Day from 2021 to 2023 is "Access to Diabetes Care". ⁹

It is known that diabetic patients need ongoing care and support in order to have better management of their condition. Some essential components of diabetes care include ⁹ :

Image from: World Diabetes Day

About Self-monitoring:

• Blood glucose. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is important as it allows you to evaluate how your everyday activities, food intake, and medications affect your blood glucose levels.¹⁰
   
• Blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the risk of heart disease. This is why home blood pressure monitoring is also important for diabetes patients.¹⁰
   
• Body weight. It is important for obese or overweight Type 2 Diabetes patients to lose weight as well. ¹⁰

About Healthy Food:

According to the Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society, the fundamentals of a healthy eating pattern include ¹⁰ :

• More fruits and vegetables
• Wholegrains
• Legumes, nuts and pulses
• Healthy fats
• Less sugar and salt

How can you get involved?

1. WDD Online Petition
   Support the WDD online petition to pledge your support for greater access to diabetes care. ¹¹
   
    Image from: World Diabetes Day
   
    
2. Diabetes Risk Assessment
   Encourage the people around you to learn more about the potential risk of type 2 diabetes with online assessment. ¹¹
   
    Image from: World Diabetes Day
   
    
3. Wear Blue
   Whichever way you exercise, make sure to wear blue and show your support for #WorldDiabetesDay and the #IfNotNowWhen campaign. ¹¹
   
    
4. Blue Circle Selfies
   Share your blue circle selfies on social media channels. ¹¹
   
    
5. WDD Resources
   Share WDD resources (logo, posters, infographics, online banners and social media) through social media or on your website. ¹¹
   
    Image from: World Diabetes Day

Access to diabetes care, if not now, when? We hope you have learnt more about diabetes this World Diabetes Day!

References:

1. World Diabetes Day. About WDD. Available at https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/. Accessed on: 19th October 2021
2. Institute for Public Health 2020. National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019. Non-communicable diseases, healthcare demand, and health literacy-Key Findings.
3. National Cancer Institute. Definition of complication. Available at https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/complication. Accessed on: 24th October 2021
4. IDF (International Diabetes Federation). IDF Diabetes Atlas Ninth edition 2019. Available at https://www.diabetesatlas.org/upload/resources/material/20200302_133351_IDFATLAS9e-final-web.pdf. Accessed on: 19th October 2021
5. World Health Organization (WHO). Diabetes. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes. Accessed on: 19th October 2021
6. United States Renal Data System. Chapter 11: International Comparisons. Available at https://www.usrds.org/media/1738/v2_c11_intcomp_18_usrds.pdf. Accessed on: 24th October 2021
7. Mayo Clinic. End-stage renal disease. Available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/end-stage-renal-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354532. Accessed on: 24th October 2021
8. NHS. Amputation. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/amputation/. Accessed on: 24th October 2021
9. World Diabetes Day. Key messages. Available at https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/key-messages/. Accessed on: 19th October 2021
10. Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society. Diabetes Education Manual 2020. Available at https://www2.moh.gov.my/index.php/database_stores/attach_download/554/79. Accessed on: 3rd November 2021
11. World Diabetes Day. Access to diabetes care, If not now when Campaign Toolkit 2021. Available at https://worlddiabetesday.org/wddbrk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WDD21-Toolkit-EN-final.pdf. Accessed on: 3rd November 2021.

-This article is supported by MSD-

MY-NON-00111 Nov/2021

Written By

Ms. Su Pei Wen