- As of this 2023, every November 13 will be commemorated the National Day of Prediabetes in Mexico.
- Currently, it is estimated that there are at least 9 million Mexicans with diabetes, although many are unaware of their condition.
- The current lifestyle maintained by millions of people is one of the reasons why its incidence has increased.
Diabetes should not be “normal” in Mexican society. And it is that, due to its prevalence in the population, it is a condition that affects 13 percent of the inhabitants and has already become the third cause of death in the country.
A condition that has been normalized by society
With the above in mind, it is common for people to have a relative, friend and even oneself, who suffers from diabetes, so it must be accepted as a “destiny” when being born as a Mexican: there is nothing further from reality .
This was discussed by directors of the Dean of Health Sciences of the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG) during the conference “Diabetes Mellitus, an ecosystem approach”, held at the Medical Expo Guadalajara 2023.
The dialogue table was formed by the Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences, Dr. Alfonso Petersen Farah; the Director of the School of Medicine, Dr. Beatriz Tinoco; the Director of the Nutrition Program, Mtra. Monserrat Rodríguez León; the Director of the Psychology Program, Mtra. Claudia Berenice Vera Amaro; the Director of the Master’s Degree in Occupational Health, Mtro. Alfonso Ramiro Sanchez; the Director of the Dental Surgeon Program, Dr. Olga Marisela Sánchez Hernández; the Director of the Nursing Program, Mtra. Virginia Ortiz Arrona; and the Director of the Therapy Program, Dr. Juan Soto Rendon from the UAG.
In the panel, the also academics explained that the Mexican population has come to terms with the idea of living with the disease or letting it “happen” and not taking care of themselves, which brings a series of difficulties such as:
- Gingivitis and tooth loss.
- Chronic-degenerative diseases (heart, hypertension and others).
- Chronic renal failure.
- Obesity.
- Loss of a limb.
- Mental health degeneration.
- Inability.
- Degeneration of the organism.
In the panel, the experts indicated that diabetes is related to the loss of quality of life and can even lead to death.
Outlook after the pandemic
They added that with the pandemic the number of patients with diabetes and its severity could worsen, since the health systems during the contingency focused more on the treatment of Covid-19 and left aside other ills such as diabetes.
“It is estimated that 20% of people who suffer from diabetes have it poorly controlled, the rest go from more or less to good. The patient suffering from diabetes abandoned visits to the doctor when being controlled in this period (during the pandemic), if it was controlled, and has not returned, which means that this will have an impact on people’s health in the future and the system itself. This already implies a complicated challenge and it will be complicated for all the medical personnel involved”, pointed out the Academic Vice Rector for Health Sciences.
In turn, the experts explored the risk factors and pointed out that prevention should be done before the symptoms appear; And it is that the future of medicine is prevention, thanks to technology that every day becomes more intuitive, collects more information and becomes more functional.
The objective should be primary prevention (preventing the disease and its complications), they explained, but all this must be done in a health ecosystem in which the different disciplines converge to care for patients. This is because it is believed that each of the branches of health are isolated entities, which must work individually on the person and this is not the case, they said.
“The health of an individual should not be treated separately, it is a whole. It is taking care of the mind, healing the body and protecting the body. For this reason, at the UAG we believe that an interrelation between these disciplines should be promoted and training with values in which students learn what they are and should be part of a whole that benefits society”.
During the Medical Expo, the UAG also participated with a stand and also academics participated for three days in other exhibitions dedicated to other topics such as: “Bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal infection”; “The impact of chronic complications on the quality of life of the diabetic patient”; “Prevention and advanced management of diabetic foot complications”; “Devices for glucose measurement”; “Humanized care of the diabetic patient”.
Also read:
Celebrities and celebrities diagnosed with some type of diabetes
Main medical complications caused by diabetes
Senators approve creating National Prediabetes Day: This is the designated date