About 370 million people suffer from diabetes in the world, and experts from the World Health Organization estimate that by 2030, the number of those affected on the planet will exceed half a billion. Treatment of this severe systemic disease is lifelong and very expensive.
In Serbia, according to health statistics, 770,000 people suffer from type 2 diabetes, but according to local experts, even 45 percent of patients do not have a diagnosis, or rather do not know that they are ill, so the number of patients is much higher. This severe systemic disease causes numerous, life-threatening complications, and to prevent this, early detection is key.
„Checking the blood sugar level is a simple way to detect the disease in time. Preventive examination is especially important if we know that someone in the family has already suffered from diabetes. It is an insidious disease with mostly mild and non-specific symptoms. Increased feeling of thirst, more frequent urination, more frequent feeling of fatigue. Later, more frequent urinary tract infections, fungal skin diseases, and slower wound healing occur. If we detect the disease in time, the treatment is much more successful”, explains Bojana Jordanović, pharmacist and regional product manager from Hemofarm.
Prevent in time
Type 2 diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in Serbia. Half of the patients are working-age population. Type 2 diabetes accelerates the deterioration of blood vessels, thus increasing the risk of thrombosis and blockage. This is why heart attack and sudden death are as much as five times more common in diabetics.
„Due to the complications of type 2 diabetes, changes occur in the blood vessels of the heart, eyes, kidneys, brain and peripheral circulation. The most common cardiovascular consequences are ischemic heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction. As many as 2 out of 3 diabetics die from a heart attack, stroke or circulation problems in the feet and legs. But, if diabetes is detected in time and then kept under control with appropriate nutrition and above all with drugs, not only the macrovascular complications of diabetes, but also the microvascular complications that diabetes causes on the brain, eyes, kidneys, peripheral nerves, can be prevented or at least postponed for a longer time”, says our interlocutor.
Of particular concern is the fact that type 2 diabetes is increasingly being detected in adolescents and obese children. Where did this escalation in the number of patients come from?
„Research shows that the modern way of life takes its toll. It is characterized by a lot of sitting, insufficient physical activity, irregular and high-calorie diet, energy drinks and especially extreme stress.’ A study conducted at the Military Medical Academy showed that people who go through continuous, severe stress have three times higher concentration of insulin in their blood than allowed. This clearly indicates a high level of metabolic risk for diabetes. That is why prevention is of crucial importance”, emphasizes pharmacist Bojana Jordanović.
Regular check-ups and medication
Due to the large increase in the number of patients as well as numerous complications of the disease, the development of drugs for diabetes is in constant focus throughout the world.
„In addition to drugs that have been used in diabetes therapy for decades, nowadays we also have modern drugs that, in addition to more successfully regulating blood sugar levels, also affect the reduction of the progression of diabetes complications.’ New drugs have fewer side effects such as obesity, hypoglycemia. They can also reduce the frequency of complications of associated diseases such as various diseases of the cardiovascular system. In Serbia, modern therapy is available and there are many possibilities to choose the appropriate therapy for each patient. Certainly, your doctor is the one who should decide which of the medicines is best for you”, says our interlocutor.
In most of the Primary Health Centers in Serbia, there are counseling centers for diabetes, which are extremely important for patients. Diabetes treatment is lifelong and expensive. Due to the high frequency and numerous complications accompanying diabetes, the health care costs of people with diabetes are three times higher and amount to 12% of all health care costs.
„That's why prevention is extremely important, as well as timely diagnosis, detection of the disease and its timely treatment.’ Good patient education about proper nutrition, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle is always the first step. When the disease is detected in time, with regular intake of adequate therapy, the life of a diabetic can be of very high quality”, says Bojana Jordanović from Hemofarm.
