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LLOYDLUNA.com
Joined: Mar 8, 2004
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Country: Philippines
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Waging war against diabetes
May 26, 2004 - 07:00 AM
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Posted at the Manila BULLETIN Online
Diabetes mellitus, a disease of the insulin -producing cell sin the pancreas, leading to elevations Dof the blood sugar, afflicts more than 177 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and can be found in almost every population in the world. In the Philippines alone, an estimated 3.0 million are diagnosed with diabetes, with probably an equal number that remain undiagnosed.
Although health and medical authorities worldwide have been issuing warnings on the threat of diabetes since many years back, it continues to be a grave threat contributing to numerous morbidities and mortalities. Epidemiological evidence suggests that, without effective prevention and control programs, diabetes will likely continue to increase globally.
To fight the alarming global epidemic of diabetes, the World Diabetes Day was first introduced in 1991. Since then, it has grown and now unites more than 350 million people, including diabetic patients, their families, healthcare professionals, opinion leaders, caregivers, and member associations, in over 130 countries.
DOING OUR PART
In the Philippines, the four major diabetes organizations: Philippine Diabetes Association (PDA); Diabetes Center Philippines (DCP), the Philippine Society for Encdocrinology and Metabolism (PSEM), and the Institute for theStudies on Diabetes Foundation (ISDF) strengthened the campaign againts diabetes, and partnered with private organizations like Johnson & Johnson Medical Philippines, to refocus publica attention on the very real threat posed by diabetes, through the "D" Fight Diabetes!" Campaign.
Under the “D” Fight Diabetes!, the group advocates the adoption of the “D” symbol as the new symbol of hope for the continuing fight against diabetes. The group plans to organize symposia, fora, and other initiatives designed to raise awareness and encourage patients, care givers and the general public to be more heedful of the symptoms and causes of diabetes and of the numerous and practical ways to manage it.
“In 2002, Diabetes and diabetes-related diseases, accounted for such an alarming number of deaths in the country, which put it in among the Top 10 leading causes of death. Unless
we succeed in mobilizing our people to help prevent it, then our resources will be sorely depleted in combating the disease,” Dr. Augusto Litonjua, pioneer advocate of diabetes awareness and treatment in the country, recently relates.
Diabetes will continue to kill large numbers of patients unless people in general take aggressive efforts to prevent and manage it, largely through a healthy and responsible lifestyle. “D” Fight Diabetes! aims to tell each and every Filipino that although no cure has been found yet, diabetes is a manageable condition, and patients can take control of it, and lead full and meaningful lives, only if they know more about it.
Left uncontrolled, diabetes is known to lead to complications like coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, gangrene of the extremities leading to
amputations, high blood pressure, blindness, stroke, and renal or kidney failure. These complications resulting from diabetes are unknown threats that lead to increased disability, reduced life expectancy and enormous health cost for virtually every society.
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farhana siddique
Joined: Sep 24, 2003
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Re: Waging war against diabetes
June 13, 2004 - 02:52 AM
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Hi LLOYDLUNA,
I agree 2 u'r view-point. My father is also diabetic, and undoubtedly, this disease has proved to b a havoc 4 our family. My father got twicely hospitalized during the past couple of weeks, lost weight and inspite of all necessary preventions, some way or the other his blood sugar level is not under control.
A war is needed to be waged urgentrly to curb the alarming global epidemic of diabetes. WHO & other Health Concerned Organizations need 2 launch sound campaigns against this deadly disease.
Best regards,
fari
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