Diabetes is a physical disorder; it is preventable if detected early. If it is not detected early, it will affect eyes, kidneys, legs, nerves, heart, etc.
A retired medical college professor went to a doctor complaining of sudden uneasiness. The tests done gave shocking results as he was found to have reached an advanced stage of diabetes. He had a diabetic foot, kidney failure was imminent and there was internal bleeding in the eye. Yet there were no symptoms at all. Despite intensive treatment at a diabetic care hospital in Dhaka, he died recently. His death came as a shock and surprise to his colleagues and students in the medical field. Instances like these are now being highlighted to create public awareness on prevention and control of diabetes. The patient, who was 60 plus, was a good surgeon. But he never went for blood sugar test. When asked why he did not go for a sugar test, he said there were no symptoms. It is an abiding urge to the people to check diabetes, take right treatment and prevent complications.
Based on studies carried out in various cities and towns in Bangladesh, it is estimated that 15 per cent of the population of the country are diabetic and thousands of them are not aware that they have diabetes. It is really worrying that diabetes (Type-2) has become an epidemic. It is no longer a rich man's disease. There is a big shift in prevalence of diabetes and it is time for a wake-up call for all. Sugar test is a must since 50 per cent of diabetic individuals have no symptoms at all.
The threatening fact is that diabetes has shifted from rich to poor, old to young and urban to rural areas. Analysis suggests that 15 per cent of the national population might have diabetics whether they know about it or not. So it is time for pre-diabetic and diabetic people to go for right treatment. Nutrition and diet experts advise people to follow healthy food court guidelines since some food items can be taken liberally while some must be restricted. If a family has four members, then the consumption of cooking oil should be only two litres per month. To know one's plate and plan his meals is very important. Often the nutritionists say that half the plate should be devoted to vegetables. For those who keep control of diabetes, there are some strict yes and no items. Banana and mango are to be avoided fully. Diabetics can eat apple, guava, orange and papaya. If parents have diabetes, their children should go for sugar test after 20 since family history is a major cause.
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases, clinically known as Diabetes Mellitus, in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Glucose is vital to human health because it's the main source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and tissues and that is why it is the main source of fuel for the body. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of Polyuria (frequent urination), Polydipsia (increased thirst) and Polyphagia (increased hunger). If anyone has diabetes, no matter what type, it means he has too much glucose in his blood and excessive glucose can lead to serious health problems. There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes) Type 2 Diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes a condition combined with absolute insulin deficiency. Acute complications out of this disease include hypoglycenia, serious long-term complications including cardiovascular diseases and chronic renal failure.  Adequate treatment of diabetes is thus important, as well as blood pressure control and lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation and maintaining a healthy body weight.
The term diabetes, derived from the Greek word diabainein, was coined by Aretaeusus of Cappadocia. In 1675, Thomas Wills added the word mellitus, from Latin, meaning "honey", a reference to the sweet taste of the urine. This sweet taste had been noticed in urine by the ancient Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, and Persians. Diabetes mellitus appears to have been a death sentence in the ancient era. Indian philosopher Sushruta identified diabetes and classified it as Madhumeha. The ancient Indians tested for diabetes by observing whether ants were attracted to a person's urine, and called the ailment "sweet urine disease" (Madhumeha). In his 14-volume medical encyclopedia, The Cannons of Medicine (1025), Avicenna (980-1037) provided, for the first time, a detailed account on diabetes mellitus by "describing the abnormal appetite and the collapse of sexual functions," and he documented the sweet taste of diabetic urine. The endocrine role of the pancreas in metabolism and indeed the existence of insulin, was not further clarified until 1921, when Sir Frederic Grant Banting (1891-1941) and Charles Herbert Best (1899-1978) led to the availability of an effective treatment-insulin injections. For this, Banting and laboratory director MacLeod received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923.
THE BANGLADESH SCENARIO: The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated  that 7.2 million or 4.8 per cent of people living in Bangladesh had diabetes in 2007 and by 2025, the number is expected to grow to 9.2 million or 6.1 per cent of the population. This explosion in diabetes prevalence will place Bangladesh among the top ten countries in terms of the number of people living with diabetes in 2025.
The Bangladesh Diabetic Samity (BADAS), established on February 28Â in 1956 with the initiative of Late National Professor Dr. M Ibrahim (1911-1989), has a declared motto - look after all people with diabetes irrespective of their ability to pay, status or other factors. BADAS, turns 60 today. It is self-reliant and not donor-dependent. BADAS is the pioneer of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) development in Bangladesh. It has developed infrastructure through partnerships with the government. BADAS provides services to the affluent and to people who do not have diabetes and through a policy of cross-financing and help those living with diabetes with the surplus capital that it generates.
BIRDEM (Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders) is the central institute of BADAS which provides comprehensive diabetic healthcare to the people. It is a unique creation of the BADAS and has been acclaimed as a model institution in Asia and the Pacific. The institute has: (a) 650 in-patient beds and (b) a large out-patient programme. BIRDEM has about 0.5 million registered diabetic patients. More than 4,000 people visit every day here and out of them 75-100 are new patients. In review of this influx of patients everyday, BIRDEM has been adjudged as a unique and successful health service provider across the globe. Â
BADAS has adopted a decentralised model and has spread care throughout the country. There are 61 Affiliated Associations, almost one in every district and 11 sub-affiliated at sub-district level in the country. They are all affiliated to the BADAS. They have to follow certain standards - they must be democratic, transparent, must be run by social workers, and must be not-for-profit. In that BADAS has been able to create comparatively excellent diabetes awareness. Bangladesh is a developing country, but in terms of awareness of diabetes it is far ahead of some developed countries. Here people in general are aware of the need to act to soften the possible impact of the diabetes epidemic.
Research is another area where BADAS puts great emphasis and this is unlike many other associations particularly in developing countries. Research is a tool for generation of context-based knowledge and also generation of skilled manpower. Recognizing the contribution of BADAS in this sector, in 1982 the World Health Organization declared BIRDEM as a Collaborating Centre for Research on Prevention and Control of Diabetes.
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Mazid, a former Secretary and Chairman NBR, is Chief Coordinator, Bangladesh Diabetic Samity.
mazid.muhammad@gmail.com
Diabetes—from rich to poor, urban to rural areas
FE Team | Published: February 27, 2017 18:55:57 | Updated: October 23, 2017 17:28:25
Diabetes—from rich to poor, urban to rural areas
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