An internist at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) raised the alarm about the increasing trend in diabetes cases among younger people.
“It is alarming to note that diabetes is no longer an illness of persons above 40. There are now individuals in their 20s already being diagnosed,” Dr. Domingo Solimen, an internist at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), said in an interview on Friday.
Statistics provided show that 1.2 million children and adolescents worldwide who are below 20 years old, have Type 1 diabetes, the genetic type of diabetes.
This is aside from the fact that one in six live births or 21 million people are affected by hyperglycemia during pregnancy.
Data provided also shows that in 2011, the prevalence rate of diabetes was 9.7 percent. In 2021, it dropped to 7.1 percent.
“If we will not arrest the problem, we will all have diabetes,” Solimen said.
He said at the BGHMC, there are 2,391 with diabetes who were attended at the outpatient department, while 1,110 were admitted to the hospital. A total of 216 deaths were recorded at the hospital.
Solimen said diabetes is a lifestyle-related illness that could be prevented, delayed, or controlled through physical activity or exercise, proper food intake, and treatment.
“The individual needs to cooperate and help himself by exercising and being selective of the food being eaten,” he said, adding that obesity, weight, and tummy size must also be watched as these are main risk factors for hypertension.
“In 2018, the prevalence of obesity was 37 percent, and 36 percent drop in 2019,” Solimen said.
He cautioned the public that uncontrolled diabetes leads to other illnesses, such as renal disease, hypertension, eyesight issues, and nerve disease.
Source: Philippines News Agency
