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HEALTH DIABETES 43
WHEN DIABETES GETS
BTy Margaret Mielczarek.
ype 2 diabetes is the most
common form of diabetes in Australia, where it affects around one million people,
according to Accredited Practising Dietitian and Dietitians Australia spokesman Dr Alan Barclay.
“It generally happens as we get older, so it’s most common over the age of 45, though some young people can get it,” he said.
Pharmacist and herbalist Gerald Quigley adds that the “number of people diagnosed with diabetes each day is phenomenal”.
He points to the ‘Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle’ study in 2005, which found that about 275 adults were developing diabetes every day in this country.
“It’s a dreadful disease and it’s immensely controllable [yet] we ignore it,” Mr Quigley said.
Pharmacists Donna Itzstein and Alison Crow, credentialled diabetes educators at Diabetes Queensland, describe type 2 diabetes as “a metabolic condition, which is a product of genetics, age and lifestyle issues”.
They say the development of type 2 diabetes involves the body gradually becoming resistant to the effects
of insulin.
“Some insulin will be produced, but the amount will be inadequate for glucose metabolism,” they said.
Mr Quigley adds that a person with type 2 diabetes “can be producing insulin but it’s not being used effectively by their body”.
Providing further explanation,
Dr Barclay said: “The pancreas gets to the point where it can no longer produce enough insulin, which is the hormone that lowers blood glucose levels, and therefore blood glucose levels start to go up. So, you still produce insulin but just not enough.”
People with type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin. This is “an autoimmune condition” that “may occur at any age”, say Ms Itzstein and Ms Crow.
“A trigger such as an illness or physical stress sets off an immune response in which the body attacks and kills off its own cells in the pancreas,” they said. “This results in an absolute insufficiency of insulin.”
Risk factors
Among the several risk factors for type 2 diabetes, some are modifiable and some are not, say Ms Itzstein and Ms Crow.
The risk factors they cite that cannot
be modified include age, male gender, ethnicity (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Asian, Middle Eastern, north African and southern European people), family history, polycystic ovarian syndrome and previous gestational diabetes.
“The risk factors that can be modified include hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, smoking, sedentary behaviour, increased weight and waistline and poor dietary habits,” they said.
Pharmacy staff seeking a comprehensive outline of risk
factors for type 2 diabetes can use the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment (AUSDRISK) Tool, suggest Ms Itzstein and Ms Crow.
“This is an online tool you can use with your clients,” they said. “The AUSDRISK tool was developed to assess a person’s risk of [developing] type 2 diabetes within the next five years.”
Mr Quigley says some medications (such as prednisolone, a steroid) may also predispose someone to the development of type 2 diabetes.
“Steroids tend to raise blood glucose levels and sometimes the levels don’t go back down to normal once the steroids are finished,” he said. “That’s why anybody on steroid medication needs careful management depending on those other risk factors. So, if you have a pool of risk factors then they have to be managed and blood glucose readings ... should be routinely done.”
He adds that it’s particularly important for anyone aged over 35 years to have their blood glucose level checked regularly as part of the “basket of blood tests that person has”.
Symptom check: who’s at risk?
According to Ms Itzstein and
Ms Crow, symptoms to look out for that may indicate the presence of diabetes include:
• Tiredness or fatigue;
• Excessive urination
(especially at night); • Thirst;
• Blurred vision;
• Itchy, dry skin;
• Poor healing;
• Frequent infections;
• Weight loss.
However, it may not be as simple as this,
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