Bogotá D.C., July 19, 2020. Reports from the High Cost Account indicate that 3 out of every 100 Colombians have diabetes mellitus. It is estimated that the real number is much higher and that one in 10 people in Colombia suffers from this disease. This is because almost half of the individuals with this pathology are unaware that they are sick.
"Currently, diabetes is one of the main causes of death in people between 30 and 70 years of age, and it favors the occurrence of heart attacks, cerebral thrombosis, amputations of the lower extremities and deterioration of kidney function, up to the point to which people may need dialysis to continue living," explained Nubia Bautista, interim deputy director of Noncommunicable Diseases of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by the persistent increase in glucose or "sugar" in the blood. Its presence is diagnosed or confirmed when glucose in a fasted blood sample is higher than 126 mg/dl. Likewise, a blood glucose value (post-intake of 75 g of glucose) greater than 199 mg/dl also validates the diagnosis.
"Another test that allows verifying whether a person has diabetes or not is glycated hemoglobin, which is a protein that fills with glucose in patients with this morbidity. When a person has a glycated hemoglobin value greater than or equal to 6.5%, this person has diabetes," said Bautista.
In Colombia, 1,294,940 people diagnosed with diabetes were reported this past year and the highest prevalence was in Bogotá, Antioquia and Valle del Cauca. In general, women are the most affected by the disease in the country, representing 59.54% of the total cases.
Pandemic risk
In the covid-19 pandemic, people with diabetes mellitus are one of the most vulnerable populations, given that they are more likely to die and have more severe symptoms as a consequence of infection, when compared to the general population.
If people want to know their probability of developing diabetes, they can discover it on the Know your risk (Conoce tu riesgo) application, available in the iOS and Android app stores.
"In the application, after answering a few simple questions, the risk of developing diabetes in the next five years will be calculated and therefore people can adopt the necessary measures to prevent it or go to their insurer to secure provision of the required care," Bautista indicated.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection calls on the population to become aware, taking into account that diabetes is a preventable and treatable disease, where "changes in lifestyle can delay its onset," she says.
Among the interventions that can most help reduce the risk of occurrence are:
- 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity per week (walking, cycling or swimming, among others).
- Include fresh, natural foods with no added sugar in your diet daily, including fruits, vegetables, milk and low-fat dairy products, cereals, roots, bananas, lean meats, eggs, dried legumes, nuts, fatty seeds at in a small amount.
- Do not consume refined sugars, sodas, sugary drinks, since these increase the level of glucose in the blood.
- Reduce consumption of packaged products and fast foods.
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco and receive treatment to stop using these substances.
- Maintain a healthy and adequate weight, avoiding overweightness and obesity.
"We invite territorial entities to strengthen the implementation of the tools provided by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, such as the Comprehensive Health Care Pathway for people with diabetes, where collective and individual interventions are provided for the prevention and treatment of this disease," Bautista concluded.
Likewise, the Benefit Plans Administrators (EAPBs) must guarantee pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment for people with this pathology in order to avoid complications.
