Time to renew focus on the danger of diabetes

For most of the past three years the pandemic has dominated our attention and as a result, diabetes, along with other pre-pandemic health concerns, have been pushed into the background. We need to restore the level of attention we give to diabetes, a disease that affects people of all ages. All of us are “prediabetic” to some degree, especially as our bodies age. There are several types of diabetes. Research shows that in addition to type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, a small minority of people develop specific types of diabetes as a result of other factors. These include types of monogenic diabetes, such as neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young. There are also diseases of the exocrine pancreas, such as cystic fibrosis and pancreatitis, which can be life-threatening if untreated. Drug or chemical-induced diabetes, which can be triggered, for example, by glucocorticoid use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS or after organ transplants, can cause significant problems. Given that some of these types of diabetes are so rare, they are often misdiagnosed as other forms of the disease. Diabetes affects more than 382 million people worldwide, of whom 90 percent have the type 2 form of the disease. The growing popularity of sugary foods has contributed to a whopping quadrupling of cases since the 1970s.
In the era of COVID-19, diabetes has become an even more serious issue because it can cause serious complications for those infected by the virus. Yet diabetes has taken a back seat to other health issues during the pandemic, even though diabetics are at much greater risk from COVID than non-diabetics. The same is true for other diseases related to diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease and renal system issues.
Research has found that the most prevalent post-COVID symptoms in diabetics, more so than in patients who do not have the disease, include excessive fatigue and pain. In addition, levels of anxiety and depression seem to be higher and quality of sleep declines.In other words, a diabetic patient’s lifestyle, which has already had to undergo an adjustment in terms of food intake as a result of the disease, needs a further layer of, for lack of a better description, protection against infection.
Given that flu season is upon us, along with a resurgence of COVID-19 in some countries, and a new respiratory syncytial virus, the scholars who study viruses have a lot more research to do. The potential complications resulting from diabetes and COVID-19 are even greater when obesity is added to the mix. The emergence and evolution of viruses create greater risks not only to people who are diabetic but also those who are prediabetic. Thus, there is a growing burden of diabetic maintenance in a social environment that is potentially high stress and signals the need for greater attention to disease management across communities. That burden not only falls on those responsible for medical policies but also on the patients themselves, who can be distracted by the demands of daily life and miss potentially life-saving insulin injections, for example. Insulin shortages can also clearly affect medical maintenance programs. Of course, obesity is a major factor in diabetic conditions. Even the slightest amount of excess weight increases the likelihood of diabetes. Obesity rates are high worldwide but particularly in the Middle East.
Issues relating to obesity and diabetes go hand in hand, and some scholars argue that rapid urbanization and a lack of exercise are key factors in the rapid increase in diabetes cases across the region, where figures have skyrocketed in the past two decades. In East Asia, the rates are slightly lower because of the healthier diet there. As always, what we eat can make a big difference. The potential complications resulting from diabetes and COVID-19 are even greater when obesity is added to the mix. There are higher rates of microvascular complications and mortality among obese diabetics, for example. Diabetes is becoming more common and some societies are worse affected than others by growing numbers of diabetic and prediabetic patients. Research and analysis of the issue continues but the dangers posed by diabetes are on the rise not only as a result of unhealthy eating and social habits, they are also complicated by the emergence of severe respiratory diseases with long-term side effects, especially COVID-19. As a result, people with diabetes who are particularly vulnerable should adopt precautionary measures, including continuing to wear a mask in public during the winter months.