This year, World Health Day on April 7 will focus on diabetes and its global impact. In Canada, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions—with an estimated 11 million people living with diabetes or prediabetes. Another Canadian is diagnosed with diabetes every three minutes.
Diabetes increases a person’s risk for many serious complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure leading to dialysis, and blindness. Nevertheless, for many people it is possible to live a healthy, full life with diabetes.
“People with diabetes play a critical role in ensuring the best health outcomes with the disease. Working closely with their health-care team, they manage blood sugar levels, foot care, eye care, physical activity and healthy eating,” says Dr. Jan Hux, chief science officer at the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). “Self-management is the cornerstone of diabetes care and people affected by it need the knowledge and skills to properly manage diabetes.”
For Colin Mallet, 72, from Vancouver, B.C., daily management of his diabetes is essential to his health. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 53 years ago, he knew nothing about the disease and assumed the symptoms he experienced were associated with the normal stress of being a first year university student. Colin lived in many countries including the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Sweden before coming to Canada in 1979. From his experiences, he learned that attitude is important to living a normal life with diabetes. Now retired and an active father of four and grandfather of eight, Colin uses an insulin pump to manage his diabetes.
“I have used an insulin pump for five years and it is invaluable, both for me and for my wife’s peace of mind. Without it, I would certainly have had more visits to the emergency and more complications,” says Colin. “My advice for people who are newly diagnosed with diabetes is your life has not come to an end. You need to focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and make use of the information available from the Canadian Diabetes Association.”
According to the CDA’s Report on Diabetes: Driving Change, access to diabetes education is vital for learning more about nutrition, physical activity, blood sugar monitoring, medication and ways to make even little changes that can lead to success.
“World Health Day to me means hope for a cure for the rapidly increasing number of people with diabetes,” adds Colin.
Some tips to keep on top of your diabetes include: taking action to learn as much as possible and using diabetes programs and services when needed; setting your targets and goals to maintain optimal average (A1C) and daily blood sugar levels; performing self-checks for foot problems; and scheduling regular eye exams. For more information, visit diabetes.ca/takecharge.
About diabetes
The main types of diabetes are:
Type 1 – occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar in the blood. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown and it is not preventable. It most commonly begins in childhood and occurs when a person’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. It is found in five to 10 per cent of Canadians with diabetes.
Type 2 – occurs when the pancreas either cannot effectively use or produce enough insulin. The causes of type 2 diabetes can be genetic, behavioural and/or environmental. It usually develops in adulthood, although more children and adolescents are being diagnosed. It is found in approximately 90 per cent of Canadians living with diabetes.
Prediabetes – occurs when an individual’s blood sugar levels are elevated, but not yet high enough to be type 2 diabetes. About half of those with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes.
