(Continued from last week)

Risk Factors For Diabetes Age and ethnicity. The older you are, the higher your risk of having diabetes, especially if you are over 40 years (for white people), and over 25 years (for blacks). It has been discovered in the United Kingdom that black people and people of South Asian origin stand five times the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with white people.

Diabetes in the family. If you have a relation who has/had diabetes, your risk might be greater. The risk increases if the relation is a close one; that is, for instance, if your father or mother has/had diabetes, your risk might be greater than if your uncle has/had it.

Bodyweight and inactivity. 80 per cent of people who have Type 2 diabetes became so because they were overweight. The more overweight a person is, the higher his/her risk will be. The highest risk is for a person who is overweight and physically inactive. In other words, if you are very overweight and do not do any exercise, your risk is greatest.

Cardiovascular problems and stroke. A person who has had a stroke runs a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is also the case for people who suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) or have had a heart attack. Any diagnosis of a problem with blood circulation indicates a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes. A woman who became temporarily diabetic during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) runs a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later on. A woman who gives birth to a large baby (birth weight of less than 4kg) may run a higher risk too.

Impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG)/ Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). People with IFG or IGT have higher than normal levels of glucose in their blood. In order to prevent diabetes, it is crucial that you eat healthily, keep an eye on your weight and do exercises. A person who has been diagnosed as having impaired fasting glycaemia or impaired glucose tolerance and does not have diabetes runs a significantly higher risk of eventually developing Type 2 diabetes.
Prevalence Of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus occurs throughout the world, but it is more common in the developed countries. There is increase in incidence of diabetes in developing countries because of changing lifestyle due to urbanisation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 150 million people worldwide had diabetes mellitus in the year 2004. But due to its growing incidences, it is thought that by the year 2025 this number would double. Asia and Africa will be the most commonly affected areas. Diabetes is considered a big killer and is among the top five of the most significant diseases in developed countries.

In 2005, there were about 20.8 million people with diabetes in the United States alone. While an estimated 14.6 million had been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people were unaware that they had the disease.

In India too, diabetes is a major health hazard. It is the seventh leading cause of death.

In Nigeria it was discovered, in 1997, that 2.2 per cent of the population is either at high risk of developing diabetes or already have the condition and 90 per cent of these people were 40 years of age and above. The incidence of diabetes is increasing with every new day.

The incidence of diabetes increases with age, so only 0.2 per cent of children are affected while 8-10 per cent of elderly people are affected. Diabetes is more common in non-vegetarian than vegetarian culture. Diabetes is prevalent not only in the urban areas, rural dwellers are also affected. It has been reported that increased urbanisation predisposes the younger generation to diabetes due to bad lifestyle modification.
Symptoms Of Diabetes
People can often have diabetes and be completely unaware. The main reason for this is that the symptoms, when seen on their own, seem harmless. However, the earlier diabetes is diagnosed, the greater the chances that serious complications, which can result from having diabetes, can be avoided.

Here is a list of the most common diabetes symptoms:
·Frequent urination
·Disproportionate thirst
·Intense hunger
·Weight gain
·Unusual weight loss: This is more common among people with Type 1 sdiabetes.
·Increased fatigue
·Irritability
·Blurred vision
·Cuts and bruises don’t heal properly or quickly
·Frequent skin and/or yeast infections
·Sexual dysfunction among men
·Numbness or tingling, especially in the feet and hands
Complications Of Diabetes
Diabetes complications include:
Kidney damage
Heart damage
Damage to the nervous system
Damage to brain and blood vessels in the brain.
Damage to the small blood vessels in the eye, which can lead to blindness etc.
The good news is that diabetes is preventable and treatment is also available to prevent these complications from happening.
To be continued next week