Diabetes affects almost 17 million adults in Brazil – 01/08/2023 – Health

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Today’s edition is about diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people in Brazil and around the world.

I explain what you need to know about the condition. A warning: the best medicine is prevention.

Population with diabetes grows in the world

Diabetes is a global problem. The latest estimate, made from 2019 to 2021, pointed to 537 million people with the disease worldwide, a 16% jump compared to the previous period. By 2050, the world could have 1.3 billion people with diabetes.

In Brazil, there are 16.8 million adults currently living with the disease, or about 9.14% of its population over 18 years old. Data are from the Vigitel survey (Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection of Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey) 2021

Medical associations and organizations, however, claim that these numbers must have worsened in the post-pandemic period.

Before showing the reasons for this increase, I need to explain the types of the disease:

• Type 1 diabetes is the genetic condition in which the body does not naturally produce insulin;

• Type 2 is caused by hyperglycemia (increased blood glucose levels) associated with the so-called metabolic syndrome (overweight, high cholesterol and diabetes).

In general, this second type is the main risk factor for other diseases and, together with overweight and high cholesterol, increase the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, the main cause of death in the country.

As a result, diabetes is the main cause of hospitalization for preventable causes in the public health system, generating costs that could reach R$ 27 billion in 2030.

It is important to remember that diabetes, in addition to being a risk factor for other diseases, can lead to more serious conditions such as kidney failure and foot amputation, if not controlled.

Why do we have more patients? Experts point to factors such as increased consumption of industrialized foods, with high sugar and fat content. Another point mentioned is the lack of demand for diagnosis during the most critical years of the pandemic.

Medicines

Since 2021, new diabetes control drugs have become popular. It is unlikely that you have heard about Ozempic and Wegovy, which also work to reduce the overweight associated with the disease.

• They are made from the same compound, semaglutide;

• The two remedies were indicated to reduce the level of sugar in the blood.

In Brazil, Wegovy received approval from Anvisa only for the treatment of obesity.

Important: there are side effects linked to the use of these substances. The main ones are nausea, diarrhea, loss of muscle (in addition to fat), loss of appetite, tiredness, dejection, changes in facial expressions (“Ozempic’s face”) and even “stiffening” of the stomach, a rare but serious side effect. .

International health agencies are still investigating whether there is an association between the use of these drugs and suicidal ideation.

According to the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, the company is working with the European regulatory agency and says that patient safety is a priority.

In any case, the high cost of these therapies and the fact that they are still on the market can make their broad access difficult.

Prevention

Cheaper and more effective, prevention is the best way to avoid diabetes. What to do? Two simple rules…

1. Maintain a balanced dietwith low consumption of sugar and ultra-processed foods and high consumption of fruits and vegetables;
2. practice exercises regularly they are effective not only for the prevention of diabetes but also as protection against other diseases such as heart disease, fatty liver disease and even dementia.

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