World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes and it is marked annually on November 14.
'Access to diabetes care' is the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas 10th 2021 edition, 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes (one in 10 adults), whereas more than 1.2 million children and adolescents (0-19 years) are living with type 1 diabetes. More than 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes and close to half are not yet diagnosed.
The same report notes that type 1 diabetes prevalence and incidence estimates are unavailable in low and middle-income countries such as Kenya. This lack of local data is a hindrance to understanding the problems faced by persons living with type 1 diabetes.
One challenge that could hinder the reporting of type 1 diabetes is reliance on clinical diagnosis defined as physician-defined type 1 diabetes, which is not usually the case since access to a physician or a diabetes specialist is limited and expensive.
Whereas this year’s campaign is focused on the importance of knowing your risk of type 2 diabetes, it is imperative to shed some light on the plight of people living with type 1 diabetes, children and young adults.
Type 1 diabetes, one of the fastest-growing chronic health conditions, is an autoimmune condition that affects the pancreas causing it to produce very little insulin or none at all.
This means the human body cannot convert food into energy, thereby high blood sugars, which if not managed can lead to long-term complications, including damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, heart and even premature death.
Type 1 diabetes can affect people at any age, but commonly develops in children or young adults. Certain factors like family history can increase the risk of T1D, but the condition is not caused by diet or lifestyle. There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes. In limited resource settings, such as Kenya, there are barriers to accessibility and availability of insulin despite a century of insulin discovery.
The type 1 diabetes index launched in 2022 is a first-of-its-kind data simulation tool that measures the human and public health impact of type 1 diabetes in every country across the globe.
Hitherto, there have been wide gaps in the data about the incidence and impact of type 1 diabetes. Leveraging data and insights from the type 1 diabetes Index can help change the lives of people living with the condition by identifying attainable country-by-country interventions, including timely diagnosis, accessible care and funding research that could lead to cures.
The limited ability to accurately capture the burden of type 1 diabetes in Kenya limits the existing healthcare system to plan resources for the early detection and management of the condition. This leaves children with type 1 diabetes battling early onset diabetes complications, premature death and reduced quality of life.
Asks from the national government:
Develop and strengthen health monitoring systems to determine the morbidity and mortality resulting from diabetes, the diabetes treatment gap and health system performance (capacity and interventions) by setting national monitoring and coverage targets.
Include diagnosis, treatment and care for diabetes within the primary healthcare system.
Include diabetes care packages (such as all types of insulin, insulin delivery devices and blood glucose monitoring devices) in national insurance packages.
Increase the meaningful engagement of people with diabetes on issues relating to treatment, care and formulation of diabetes policies.
Role of universal health coverage in ensuring people living with diabetes will not suffer from financial distress when seeking quality diabetes care.
In a nutshell and in line with this year’s slogan, know your risk, know your response, failure to grant access to people with diabetes care and support to manage the condition predisposes them to irreversible diabetes complications.
For people at risk of type 2 diabetes, knowing your risk and what to do is important for prevention, early diagnosis and timely management.
Learn your risk of type 2 diabetes through the International Diabetes Federation type 2 diabetes online diabetes risk assessment via their website - https://worlddiabetesday.org/type-2-diabetes-risk-assessment/n
The diabetes marathon continues…
