The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Careful monitoring of sugar level vital for diabetes management

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Careful monitoring of sugar level vital for diabetes management

Staff Reporter

VHS opens Table tennis centre opened and sport

CHENNAI: Diabetes can be more than a physical burden. The financial and emotional cost of the disease can also be overwhelming.

In a programme organised on Saturday to commemorate World Diabetes Day, doctors of the Voluntary Health Service (VHS) sought to spread awareness of this year's theme: diabetes care for everyone, especially the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Type 1 diabetes — the juvenile form that requires insulin injections — is a financial drain on poor families. At Rs 3,000-4,000 a month, the cost of treating and monitoring the disease can swallow up most of the household income. The treatment of type 2 diabetes that can be treated through oral tablets and diet restrictions may be relatively cheaper, but G. Vijayakumar warns that if complications develop, the costs will soar. So early diagnosis and careful monitoring of sugar levels are essential. The Government offers free insulin vials at several hospitals. But that is not enough, says Dr. Vijayakumar. Other organisations need to follow VHS' example and offer the needy free comprehensive care. That will include providing insulin vials, sterile syringes, monitoring equipment and regular medical check-ups. Diabetics with physical disabilities may need to explore different forms of exercise, especially if they have lost the use of their limbs.

Valluri Rama Rao called for more awareness, research and data on diabetes among the mentally and psychologically challenged. Diabetes could lead to depression, fear and anger among patients, and treatment should include psychological help and counselling, he said.

In India, 17 per cent of the population in the metros are diabetic, and an increasing number of patients are children and adolescents from affluent homes. To roll back this trend, Dr. Ramesh Chandrasekaran called for a better lifestyle and nutrition habits such as traditional family mealtime with enough fruits and vegetables on the menu, avoiding junk food, reducing the time spent in front of TV or computer, planning physical activities for the whole family and giving importance to sports.

The VHS has opened a table tennis centre to promote exercise. It is named after Varsha Suresh Bapalal Mehta, the late wife of a VHS patron and jeweller Suresh Bapalal Mehta. It was inaugurated by former table tennis champion V Chandrasekhar.

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