Thursday, December 15, 2005
"Diabetes has become a global problem"
PONDICHERRY: "Put your feet first" was the message put out by doctors at JIPMER on World Diabetes Day on Monday. They undertook a walk to mark the Global Diabetes Walk with JIPMER Director KSVK Subba Rao and Director of Medical Services Dilip Kumar Baliga explaining that patients must take better care of their feet than they would their face. "When a person does not feel pain in his feet then he must consult the doctor. Because that is the first sign of diabetes," said Dr. Baliga. Over 250 persons had their blood sugar tested at a free camp on the beach here.
Dr. Subba Rao said diabetes has become a global problem and "in Pondicherry we should not lag behind in treating patients. With proper diet, exercise and simple treatment one can control diabetes. It is also a preventable disease. Also, after it is diagnosed monitoring and treating diabetes is much easier and cheaper than treating complications in the eyes, nerves and kidneys."
Later, the Dean, K. S. Reddy, inaugurated a continuing medical education programme at JIPMER.
A. Sundaram former Head of Department of Diabetes, Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai, said there were five simple ways to prevent diabetic foot problems. These were: emphasis on patient education, regular inspection of feet, doctors putting feet first in their examination, avoiding walking barefoot and using correct footwear.
Ashok Kumar Das, Medical Superintendent, JIPMER, said, "to avoid diabetes one has to have regular exercise, maintain optimal body weight since in diabetes the worst thing is to have excess fat in the abdominal area, and avoid fast foods. Diabetes is a silent killer and there is no way of finding it other than screening, which is needed for people who are genetically prone, for pregnant women, for obese people, and also if you are above 40 years of age."
Dr. Das said, "Every 30 seconds somewhere in the world a diabetic is losing his foot. In India alone there are over 40,000 amputations in a year and these cases are avoidable with early detection. If caught early with proper exercise, medicines and a change in lifestyle it can be reversed. In India 90 per cent of the diabetic foot cases are due to neuropathy or loss of sensation in the feet, which is the first warning sign of diabetes. In Pondicherry, the prevalence of diabetes is more than 12 per cent and so we have to take more care."
posted by JEI @ JEIZONE at 15:19 | 
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