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Diabetes-Basics

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Diabetes is a major global public health concern and is characterized by high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) caused by deficient insulin production, resistance to insulin action, or a combination of both.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and stimulates the uptake of sugar by the body cells. It also stimulates the liver to convert glucose into glycogen (an inactive form of glucose)

There are three main types of diabetes:

  • Type 1 diabetes- is a condition in which the body does not produce any insulin and is common in children and young adults. It accounts for 5%-10% of all cases of diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes- is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough or to properly use insulin. It is the most common type of diabetes and accounts for 90%-95% of all the cases of diabetes
  • Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. It affects about 0.5-15% of all pregnancies and the numbers appear to be on the increase. Treatment is required to normalize maternal blood glucose levels in order to avoid complications for the infant. Research has shown that after pregnancy, 5-10% of women with this condition are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and 20-50% develop type 2 diabetes in the next 5-10 years yet there is no post-pregnancy follow up and screening of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
    According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2003, there were 194 million people affected by Diabetes .In 2007, there were 246 million people. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be 380 million people with diabetes. Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related complications in the world. It is estimated that diabetes kills as many as 3.5 million people every year. It actually kills as many people as does HIV/AIDS, moreover, the burden of diabetes is on the increase in developing economies. Out of the 246 million people with type 2 diabetes, 80% of them live in low-income and middle income countries.

During the year 2005, chronic diseases mainly, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases caused 60% of total global mortality (35 million deaths).Prevalence of diabetes in the African region is estimated to be 0.9% to 16.5%. Diabetes is therefore a major cause of global mortality and morbidity

Type 2 diabetes contributes to more than 85% of total burden of diabetes in developing countries. Type 2 diabetes is a serious global public health problem which has evolved in association with rapid cultural and social changes. Such as:

  • Urbanization
  • unhealthy diets
  • reduced physical activity
  • unhealthy lifestyles and behaviour such as alcohol and tobacco consumption

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is reported to be on the rise in children .The prevalence of diabetes is about 3.3% (1.2 million people). This figure is projected to rise to 4.5% (1.5 million people) by 2025 if this trend is not checked.

Local studies in the country indicate that prevalence range between 2.7% in the rural groups and 10.7% in urban areas. The prevalence of pre-diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance is 8.8% in rural and 14.4% in urban groups

A survey carried out by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Nairobi, Kenya in 2003 indicated that non-communicable diseases contributed to 53% of hospital admissions. Of this percentage, 27% of them were people with diabetes.