Damascus-SANA
The number of people living with diabetes worldwide exceeds 460 million, along with millions who are at risk of developing it due to the high rate of sugar consumption, smoking, obesity and other unhealthy behaviors, according to the World Health Organization.
Diabetes is classified as a non-communicable disease, and the exact cause is not yet known for most of its main types, which are the first and second types, gestational diabetes, and pre-diabetes (prediabetes). It poses risks if it is not accompanied by steps to prevent it.
Endocrinologist Dr. Nermin Abu Diraa explained in a statement to SANA reporter that type 1 diabetes affects young people more and depends on insulin treatment because the pancreas gland stops producing it completely and the patient needs to take insulin for life, while type 2 diabetes is more common among the elderly. It is treated with oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin to control the rate of sugar in the blood, confirming that obesity, lack of movement, excessive intake of sugars and fats, in addition to heredity, are risk factors for developing diabetes.
Regarding gestational diabetes, Dr. Abu Daraa indicated that some pregnant women develop it and its symptoms appear after the sixth month of pregnancy. It is treated with insulin and often disappears after childbirth. She warned at the same time that the mother and child may develop diabetes later in the event of weight gain and excessive sugar intake.
Diabetes symptoms, according to Dr. Abu Drah, are embodied in fatigue, permanent sleepiness, lack of activity, frequent urination, extreme thirst, weight loss, delayed wound healing, and the emergence of fungal diseases, noting that complications of diabetes appear through several symptoms, most notably numbness of the extremities, problems in the teeth, gums, vision, heart attack, and diabetic foot.
It is noteworthy that with the aim of raising awareness of the dangers of diabetes and the pathological complications that accompany infection with it, the Ministry of Health launched, on the 16th of this month, an awareness campaign entitled (Do not sweeten it with excess), which includes holding community events and educational lectures, and distributing guidance brochures about the harmful effects of white sugar on public health.
Rama Rashidi
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