Diabetes is an “unprecedented pandemic” and experts fear that Covid-19 can get worse :: WRAL.com

Sandee LaMotte, CNN

CNN — 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a breakthrough drug in the fight against diabetes.

Despite a century of progress in treatment, education and prevention, World Diabetes Day 2021 occurs as a result of rigorous statistics. According to figures recently released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), one in ten adults worldwide (about 537 million) currently suffers from diabetes.

IDF predicts that by 2024, the number of diabetics will increase to one in eight adults.

“It can be said that the world has stopped the increasing trend of diabetes as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin,” IDF President Andrew Balton told CNN. “Instead, diabetes is now a pandemic of unprecedented scale.”

IDF estimates that by 2021, nearly 7 million adults worldwide died of diabetes or its complications, which is one in ten deaths worldwide due to any cause. More than a person.

It does not count the lives lost by the new coronavirus, which is especially deadly to people with diabetes. A study published in February found that either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes tripled the risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19.

“If we need more amazing statistics, 40% of people who died of Covid-19 in the United States had diabetes,” said Dr. Robert Gabey, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of the American Diabetes Association.

Balton, a professor of medicine at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, said the pandemic also hit how well people managed diabetes over the past year and a half.

“My fear is that people will miss screening appointments for fear of catching Covid-19, causing a tsunami in diabetes and its complications over the next two years,” he said.

Is Covid a Trigger for Diabetes?

These numbers are bad, but experts are concerned that Covid-19 could contribute to an even bigger problem.

“Covid may cause more people to develop diabetes,” Gabey told CNN.

Bolton reiterated that concern: “There is some debate about it at this time, but there may be certain Covid-induced diabetes.”

A global analysis published in 2020 found that 14% of people hospitalized for severe Covid-19 later developed diabetes. Another review, published in October of this year, found new cases of type 1 or type 2 diabetes in infants, children, and adults infected with Covid-19.

“Because of the limited long-term follow-up of these patients, it is unclear whether newly developed diabetes is likely to remain permanent,” the study reported.

It is very likely that Covid-19 is not the cause. Abnormal blood sugar levels can be caused by steroids used to combat the stress of infection and inflammation of Covid-19, Gabbay said.

Another explanation is that the person may have had pre-diabetes-according to the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 88 million Americans now have diabetes. The organization has partnered with the Ad Council to create a new public service campaign, “Do you have prediabetes?”

People may also have previously undiagnosed diabetes. The IDF estimates that of the 537 million adults with diabetes worldwide, nearly half (44.7%) have not yet been diagnosed.

However, there is also evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, can bind to ACE2 receptors in pancreatic islet cells, the body’s insulin-producing organs, Boulton and Gabbay told CNN. ..

“It may be another mechanism because the virus attacks these cells in the pancreas and blocks insulin production,” Gabey said. “And those who are first diagnosed with diabetes in the hospital are sadly exacerbated by either mechanism.”

Early detection is the key

Early identification is needed to reverse the increasing trend of diabetic cases. It is preferable to nip type 2 diabetes in the pre-diabetes stage, as it is before the body begins to be damaged by irregular blood sugar levels and it is easy to make lifestyle changes.

According to a Finnish study decades ago, people who “very slightly increased their blood sugar levels” with a wise diet and regular exercise “reduced their progression to type 2 diabetes by 54%.” “Balton said.

“And I didn’t have to whiplash in the gym,” he added. “Walking instead of taking a bus, climbing stairs instead of taking an elevator is a wise exercise. That will work.”

Two recent studies show that adding about one-third of a cup of fruit or vegetable to your daily diet reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 25%, and whole grains such as brown bread and oatmeal. 29% risk of increased intake of.

Even serious diabetes can be relieved with diet, exercise, stress relief, and proper drug use, Gabey said.

“People in remission may still be at risk for long-term complications, so quarterly blood tests, annual eye and foot tests, and annual screening for kidney disease and cholesterol levels. Must be monitored at. “He said.

The American Diabetes Association conducts a 60-second online test to determine if you are at risk for type 2 diabetes. After answering a few questions about family history, age, gender, and physical activity, the test spits out the answers.

Over 60 years old, overweight, having gestational diabetes during pregnancy, having a family history of diabetes, currently living with high blood pressure, lack of exercise, etc. all increase the risk.

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