Professor "Khoja"
At a time when the health sectors in Saudi Arabia are preparing for the participation of the international community in the World Diabetes Awareness Day tomorrow, Monday (November 14), the health expert, Professor of Public Health and Consultant of Family and Community Medicine, Professor Tawfiq Ahmed Khoja, revealed that diabetes is one of the most common diseases that occupied health budgets in the world. All countries of the world, especially the Gulf countries, as the disease is more prevalent in it, as a result of following the unhealthy pattern.
He said that diabetes "type II" was once confined to the elderly, but now it has unfortunately become prevalent among the youth and adolescents due to obesity. Reaching the stage of prediabetes and insulin resistance, and with the passage of time and if the lifestyle is not corrected, the individual will finally reach the stage of type 2 diabetes, which is not dependent on insulin, but rather on medications, diet and sports.
He added: There are some risk factors that increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, namely: age, as the risk of developing it increases with age, weight gain, which is a major risk factor for developing it, lack of physical activity, family history, meaning that a family member suffers from diabetes. First degree (parents, siblings, or children), high blood pressure and cholesterol, pre-existing heart disease, pre-existing gestational diabetes.
On prevention, Professor Khoja continues
Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent pre-diabetes. Thus, on the prevention of type 2 diabetes, as those who have risk factors (especially those over the age of 45) should do periodic tests to diagnose it early and avoid complications
Regarding the treatment, Khoja concluded by saying
The treatment aims to maintain the blood sugar in the normal level as much as possible, in addition to avoiding complications. In the pre-diabetes stage, the treatment is to lose 7% of the weight, and exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week (ie 150 minutes). Weekly), and this stage, if it is controlled, the individual may not reach the stage of confirming type 2 diabetes, but in the event (God forbid) the individual reaches the stage of infection, then the treatment here is to change a healthy lifestyle, by taking care of food High in fiber, low in sugar and fat, and 150 minutes of physical activity per week
And weight loss if it is more than normal, in addition to the use of medications, and in some cases it may require treatment with insulin injections, which is an essential treatment for type 1 patients.
