One of the diagnoses that raises fears in the population is that of diabetes.This chronic disease, in which the body cannot regulate blood insulin levels, has become a pandemic and, according to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 415 million people suffer from this pathology in theworld.
Alejandro Lynch, internist, diabetes specialist and who has a specialized clinic of this disease in Guatemala, states that a diagnosis of diabetes "is not the end of the world" and that, complementing actions, the impact of this disease can be reduced.
“When diabetes is diagnosed, many patients are scared in case they have to inject insulin.Not all patients will need it, but there is nothing to fear, it is insulin that goes at blood sugar, ”explains the doctor.
Diabetes is classified into two types: Type 1 that can occur at any age.In this, the pancreas stops producing insulin as always and the patient will need daily insulin injections.For its part, type 2 diabetes is more common, the body is insulin resistant and does not use it in the way it should.
Alejandro Lynch explains that diabetes is a disease that should be easy to control, but the problem in many cases is the little information that the patient has of the same disease he suffers.
“All patients should be controlled.Information and education, exercise and a balanced diet cannot be lacking in which carbohydrate consumption is not so high.Culture, food and little physical activity in Latin American countries is something multifactorial that meets so that everything goes against health.Today, you have to make an effort to perform some exercises routinely.Eating habits are also important.Many people need help to make changes from the point of view of nutrition. ”
As for whether genetics is decisive in developing the disease, the doctor explains that it does not necessarily.
“Genetic diseases have different penetration into people, depending on a series of features that occur and diabetes is a disease that exemplifies it quite well because there are many things on the path of life of a person who can accelerate the disease ordelay it, so we can summarize yes, genetics is important, but there are other elements around that they can stop or accelerate it ”
As for the drugs used to treat diabetes, Lynch points out that in the last ten years there has been an important leap, since genetic engineering entered the world.
“Insulin no longer depends only on pig or cow and medicines are many more.Now we find them to ingest and injected that they address almost all possible mechanisms by which sugar levels can be raised.The most important are the use of drugs and complement them with exercise and good nutrition. ”