What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition caused by the body’s inability to produce enough insulin, leading to inefficient use of blood sugar and an increase in blood sugar levels. In the long term, this leads to damage to blood vessels and results in more severe complications.
How common is Diabetes?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that currently more than 425 million people worldwide have diabetes, with a projected increase to 642 million by the year
2040. According to the latest health survey of the Thai population in 2014, approximately 4.8 million Thais have diabetes, and this number is increasing every year.
Statistics show that 1 in 11 adults has diabetes, and 50% of them do not know they have the condition. You might be one of them. Therefore, early screening and timely treatment can help reduce the severity of diabetes-related complications.
Individuals at risk of diabetes who should be screened include:
- Those aged 35 and above
- Overweight individuals (BMI greater than 25) with direct relatives who have diabetes
- Hypertension patients
- Those with abnormal blood lipid levels
- Those with a history of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing over 4 kilograms
- Those with heart and vascular diseases
- Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Diabetes can be diagnosed using one of the following four methods:
- Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) Test: Having a blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.
- Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT): Conducted after fasting for at least 8 hours. Blood is drawn before consuming a glucose solution and again afterwards. A level of 200 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.
- Random Plasma Glucose (RPG) Test: A blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or higher, along with diabetes symptoms
such as frequent urination, thirst, blurred vision, fatigue, and weight loss, indicates diabetes. - Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) Test: This test does not require fasting, but other factors like age and anemia must be considered. A result of 6.5% or higher indicates diabetes.
What are the complications of Diabetes?
Complications of diabetes include cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, eye complications, kidney disease, and peripheral neuropathy. The most common complication is eye disease, affecting up to one-third of people with diabetes.
The Severity of Diabetes
Every day, 200 people die from diabetes, or 8 people per hour, and only 10% of diabetics live without complications.
In Thailand, over 8,000 deaths from diabetes are recorded annually, with young people increasingly affected due to lifestyle changes.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has designated November 14 as World Diabetes Day, with the theme for 2018-19 being “The Family and Diabetes” to raise awareness about the impact of diabetes on the family and educate family members on managing and preventing diabetes through lifestyle changes.
Dr. Ussanee Damrongpipatkul
Endocrinologist
Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai
Tel. 052-089-823
