RIYADH, 20 May 2004 — With the growing incidence of diabetes in the Kingdom, its early treatment could reduce related complications, a visiting Italian professor of Internal Medicine told local endocrinologists and general practitioners.
Dr. Geremia Bolli was speaking at a seminar on “The Modern Treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - The Role of Insulin,” at Faisaliah Hotel on Tuesday. The program was organized by Aventis Pharma.
Dr. Bolli, who described diabetes as a global epidemic, said there are currently over 150 million diabetics in the world and this number is likely to double by 2025.
In the Kingdom, around 24 percent of the population is reportedly afflicted with diabetes and another 16 percent suffer from impaired glucose tolerance, which would eventually lead to diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot convert sugar, starches and other food into daily energy. Medical studies have revealed that genetic and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise contribute to the onset of diabetes.
The doctor said recent studies showed that the consistent management of blood glucose levels could drastically reduce diabetes-related complications such as vascular conditions and vision impairment.
He enumerated the benefits of using new basal insulin treatments such as Lantus, which helps maintain hemoglobin level less than 7 percent with no peaks and troughs through a single dose.
“The goal of diabetes management is to maintain blood glucose levels as close to normal throughout the day. This can be easily achieved with the early adoption of basal insulin treatment,” he said adding that the development of new treatments, which allow once-a-day insulin injections, has eased the medication process for patients.
Dr. Bolli advised diabetics to modify their lifestyle, change dietary habits, exercise regularly and constantly check their glucose level besides taking medication to keep the disease under control.