WHO warns of diabetes increase in the Americas

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 7 (acn) According to estimates, more than 62 million people in the Americas, 10 percent of the population, suffers from diabetes, a disease that is the fourth leading cause of death in that region, after infarction, stroke and dementia.

Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, representative in the region of the Pan American and World Health Organizations (PAHO / WHO), warns about that ailment that can also develop in many people serious complications such as blindness, nerve damage and circulatory problems which can lead to amputations.
It also triggers kidney failure requiring dialysis, and heart failure and those most at risk are 30 to 40 percent of people who are unaware they have the disease and those who do not have access to good medical care, emphasizes the representative of PAHO / WHO in the Americas.
In a statement issued on the World Health Day, held each April 7, and this year is dedicated to the prevention and control of diabetes, Carissa F. Etienne warns that the disease is also increasing throughout the world.
Like other non-communicable diseases, such as heart disorder, cancer and stroke, the underlying causes of type 2 diabetes -the most common form-, are life style changes related to globalization and development, says the message.
"If current trends continue, it is expected that diabetes to affect more than 100 million people in our hemisphere by 2040," Etienne notes.
Researches show that those who are overweight or obese are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and currently, 60% of them in the region of the Americas is within those categories, she added.
We know that the main culprits are unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, reason why health defenders always call on "eat healthy" and "be more physically active," the statement says.
On the occasion of the anniversary, PAHO / WHO reiterate this good advice as part of a campaign to publicize the burden of diabetes and the urgent need to strengthen measures for its prevention and control.
Healthy eating and physical activity are really important to prevent and even control diabetes.
This means basing the diet on nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meats, and to avoid sugary drinks and ultra processed foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients, reiterates the representative of that United Nations agency.
It is also important to limit sedentary behavior and seize as many opportunities as possible to be active.
However, prevention of diabetes and diseases related to lifestyle is not only an individual responsibility; governments also have a key role to play through laws and regulations that help "making easier the healthy choice", the message states.
This is a lesson that public health defenders have learned from the battle against cigar; tell smokers how harmful cigarettes are and encourage them to quit smoking had limited success.
What resulted much more effective were taxes to make cigar products more expensive, smoking bans in public places, and restrictions on advertising, marketing and sponsorship of cigars, she said.
She noted that governments have other critical responsibilities in the fight against the epidemic of diabetes and it is important that public health systems to be able to diagnose it early and guarantee that people to receive good care.
To that end, PAHO / WHO provides guidance in these areas to countries and works to advance toward universal health, in order to ensure that diabetes care, as well as other health services, to be available to anyone who needs them, the statement says.
World Health Day this year is an opportunity to highlight the role that individuals, governments and society as a whole can play in helping to reverse the diabetes epidemic in the Americas, concludes the message.