According to the World Health Organization, there are around 422 million diabetics worldwide (WHO). In 1991, in response to mounting worries about the diabetes health hazard, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization established World Diabetes Day (WDD).
With the adoption of United Nations Resolution 61/225, World Diabetes Day became a recognized UN holiday in 2006. In honor of Sir Frederick Banting’s birthday, World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14 every year. He and Charles Herbert Best made the insulin hormone discovery in 1922.
To increase understanding of diabetes, this day is observed. A person’s body’s ability to convert food into energy is impacted by diabetes, a long-term and chronic health problem.
Diabetes, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can result in serious health issues like kidney disease, heart disease, and vision loss. Although there is currently no cure for diabetes, eating a healthy diet, getting enough exercise, and losing weight can all be very beneficial.
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What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a leading factor in kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, blindness, and lower limb amputation. Type 2 diabetes can be avoided or delayed with a healthy diet, exercise, and no tobacco use.
With medication, routine screenings, and treatment for complications, diabetes can also be managed and its effects delayed or avoided.
Diabetes is a chronic illness that develops when the pancreas either produces insufficient amounts of insulin or when the body cannot properly utilize the insulin that it does. Because of this, the blood’s level of glucose rises (hyperglycaemia).
Type 1 diabetes
Insulin-dependent diabetes, often known as type 1 diabetes, is a chronic disease. The pancreas produces little or no insulin in type 1 diabetes.
The hormone insulin permits glucose (sugar), which generates energy. Type 1 diabetes still has no known precise cause. But genetics and other environmental variables may contribute to type 1 diabetes.
Symptoms:
- Feeling more thirsty than usual
- Frequent urinating
- Bed-wetting in children
- Feeling very hungry
- Losing weight drastically
- Feeling irritable or mood swings
- Feeling tired and weak
- Blurry vision
Type 2 Diabetes
The main cause of type 2 diabetes is a change in lifestyle. It happens when the body is unable to create enough insulin for proper operation.
There is no cure for type 2 diabetes. There is a chance, though, to get better and eventually stop needing medication. Dietary changes can help cure type 2 diabetes and even reverse it in certain cases.
Symptoms:
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Increased hunger
- Drastic weight loss
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- Frequent infections
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck
World Diabetes Day History
An estimated 1550 BC is the earliest date for the onset of diabetes. It took until 1922 for insulin to be extracted and administered to humans successfully. In light of diabetes’ long, arduous march through history, our understanding of it is therefore relatively new.
Around 1850, medical professionals first thought they understood enough to distinguish between types one and two to warrant two categories. This led to the creation of type two and type one.
Since then, the number of people worldwide who have type II diabetes has risen to 90%, affecting an estimated $425 million people. The WHO and IDF wanted to create World Diabetes Day in order to raise awareness of this alarming rise.
Daily blood sugar management is a time-consuming and expensive task because diabetes has a global economic cost of about $727 billion (USD) and a cost of $245 billion in the US alone.
We should raise awareness of the disease, celebrate the birth of the man who helped bring insulin into the modern era as an effective treatment against it, and educate people about its cost and prevention.
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World Diabetes Day Timeline
- 1674: diabetic patients’ urine was tasted by doctors to make the diagnosis.
- November 14, 1891: Frederick Banting, one of the two scientists who oversaw the research that led to the discovery of insulin, was born in Ontario.
- 1922: Banting devises a method for obtaining insulin from animals and administers the first insulin injection with the help of his assistant Charles Best. After failing the first time, they eventually succeeded without experiencing any negative effects.
- November 14, 1991: In order to raise awareness of the disease worldwide in the midst of a growing diabetes epidemic, the IDF and WHO proclaim World Diabetes Day on the 100th birthday of Banting.
World Diabetes Day 2022 Significance
Due to the newly emerging sedentary lifestyle, knowing about the day is important. Globally, the prevalence of diabetes is rising as a result of this sedentary lifestyle. The number of teenagers (0–19 years) who have type 2 diabetes is thought to be around 10.2 lakh.
A high blood sugar level during pregnancy, or hyperglycemia, affects 1 in 6 live births (2.1 crores). Adults are thought to be at risk for type 2 diabetes in the neighbourhood of 54.1 crore. Type 2 diabetes is something that most people have experienced.
One of the serious diseases that led to 67 lakh fatalities in 2021, according to the International Diabetes Foundation DF. In the same year, an estimated 53.7 crore people (1 in 10), were thought to be afflicted with this illness. This suggests that the number will increase, reaching 64.3 crores in 2030 and 78.3 crores in 2045.
Understanding the symptoms and signs is crucial because there is a lack of appropriate information and guidance. You can start taking preventive action by getting an early diagnosis.
By making a few lifestyle adjustments and adopting a healthy diet, this can be avoided. Thus, this day is observed in an effort to combat the disease’s widespread prevalence and lower the risk of developing diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes in adults and adolescents.
World Diabetes Day 2022 Theme
The joint theme of the World Diabetes Day 2021-23 campaign, “ACCESS TO DIABETES CARE,” is “Education to protect tomorrow,” and this year’s topic for World Diabetes Day is “Education to protect tomorrow.”
The focus of this year’s theme, “Intensive Diabetes Education for Healthcare Professionals and People Living with Diabetes,” is on improving access to high-quality educational platforms and encouraging early diagnosis as well as better lifestyle and preventive practices to combat the rising prevalence of diabetes worldwide.
This year’s theme also emphasizes giving improved educational materials and coaching to medical professionals so they can accurately detect and diagnose diabetes and use their valuable time to educate diabetic patients on how to prevent the condition by making lifestyle changes.
In order to help the patient, grasp its current predicament and help avoid any more issues, this would undoubtedly offer mental support to the patient.
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