“When you eat, your body turns food into sugars, or glucose. At that point, your pancreas is supposed to release insulin. Insulin serves as a “key” to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter — and allow you to use the glucose for energy. But with diabetes, this system does not work. Several major things can go wrong – causing the onset of diabetes”, explain the Diabetes Research Institute.
“Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure; heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation.” There are various types of diabetes: type one and two are the most common forms of the disease. However there are other kinds such as gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy.
According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are currently over 199 million women living with diabetes. This total is projected to increase to 313 million by 2040. Two out of every five women with diabetes are of reproductive age, accounting for over 60 million women worldwide. Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths per year. Women with type 2 diabetes are almost 10 times more likely to have coronary heart disease than women without the condition. Women with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of early miscarriage or having a baby with malformations.
On World Diabetes Day, today 14 November 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) joins partners around the world to highlight women’s right to a healthy future. WHO discloses that around 8% of women – or 205 million women – live with diabetes worldwide, over half in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. “During pregnancy high blood glucose substantially increases the risk to health for both mother and child as well as the risk of diabetes for the child in the future. Almost half of women who die in low-income countries due to high blood glucose die prematurely, before the age of 70 years”.
The theme for this year’s world diabetes day is Women and Diabetes – our right to a healthy future.
The World Diabetes Day 2017 campaign promotes affordable and equitable access for all women with diabetes or at risk of diabetes to the essential medicines and technologies, self-management education and information they require to achieve optimal diabetes outcomes and strengthen their capacity to prevent type 2 diabetes. WHO assures that a healthy diet, physical activity and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. In addition diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with medication, regular screening and treatment for complications.
IDF furthermore recommends that Women and girls be empowered with easy and equitable access to knowledge and resources to strengthen their capacity to prevent type 2 diabetes in their families and better safeguard their own health. Also promoting opportunities for physical exercise in adolescent girls, particularly in developing countries, must be a priority for diabetes prevention.
World Diabetes Day was established in 1991 by the IDR with support from WHO in response to the growing concern about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. IDD became an official UN day in 2006.
ES/13/11/17
By Edna Smalle
Tuesday November 14, 2017.
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