Prevent complications
DR. VIJAY VISWANATHAN
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How to avoid problems caused by diabetes?
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Examine the feet: Foot infection is a major issue in diabetics.
"DIABETES in the Disadvantaged and Vulnerable" is the theme for World Diabetes Day on November 14. Of the expected 333 million people with diabetes by 2025, 80 per cent will live in low and medium income countries. It is estimated that poor people with diabetes in developing countries spend as much as 25 per cent of their annual income on diabetes care. As a result, they are pushed further into poverty and faced with a difficult choice: pay for treatment and face debt or neglect the problem and face disability.
Diabetic foot infection is a common cause for hospital admissions. People from rural areas have a higher prevalence of foot infection compared to those in urban centres.
Need to educate
Strategies such as intensive management and foot care education are helpful in preventing the onset of new problems and the need for surgery. Patients should be taught simple foot care management like daily examination, performing pedicure and use of proper footwear. The key elements of preventive care include annual examination by healthcare provider, subsequent examination of high-risk patients at each visit, patient education about daily care of the feet and careful glucose management.
Diabetic Neuropathy is the commonest cause of chronic kidney failure in India. It is possible to prevent diabetic neuropathy by the following measures:
Early diagnosis with a simple urine testing for microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate 20-200 ėg/min). Keeping blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg. Avoiding smoking. Reducing high protein diet especially in non-vegetarians. Using certain class of blood pressure medicines like ACE inhibitor.
The writer is the Joint Director of MV Hospital for Diabetes and Diabetes Research Centre, Chennai.
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