Diabetes Gets Encouraged By Social Inequalities

An article published in the scientific journal The Lancet points to type 2 diabetes, that is, that acquired throughout life, as a global public health problem; social inequalities accelerate the crisis, as three out of four of those affected will live in low- and middle-income countries. The study also outlines a perspective that 1.3 billion people will contract the disease by 2050, with a greater tendency for young people.

Maria Elizabeth Rossi, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at USP, endocrinologist at Hospital das Clínicas and head of the Medical Investigation Laboratory at FMUSP, emphasizes the importance of the patient’s contribution to treatment and changing habits for a better result. “Diabetes is the disease of the century, because it has a therapeutic option and a prevention option, but this implies greater access to information in the sense of informing, calling attention and guiding”, considers the professor.

Factors
According to the study, the frequency of people diagnosed with the pathology has increased by 100% in the last 30 years and the perspective is for a repetition of this increase by 2050. In addition to the impact on the health system pointed out by the doctor, the projection is worrying because it is a pathology that implies innumerable incapacities of the organism, compromising the quality of life. “Diabetes can lead to a high risk of cardiovascular disease, it is the main cause of blindness in adults and it is one of the main causes of the need for hemodialysis or kidney transplantation”, points out Maria Elizabeth.

This alarming scenario was caused by a series of factors and the professor draws attention to the asymptomatic condition of the first ten or 15 years of the disease, which can impact the adequate treatment, if routine exams are not performed. Thus, the teacher establishes an important parallel between the lifestyle and the development of the pathology. “For example, obesity is the most important factor in triggering diabetes and in Brazil a very similar picture has been observed: in the last 20 years, the frequency of obesity in the population has doubled and the frequency of diabetes has followed the same line”, mentions the doctor.

The diet profile of Brazilians is also related to the increase in the frequency of cases, since, even with the framework of food insecurity, most of the food has a high caloric level, but low nutritional value. “Our favorite dish, which is rice, beans, vegetables and meat, has been left aside and replaced by sugary foods that do not meet these nutritional needs”, notes Maria Elizabeth.

Inequality and diabetes
A social picture of those affected or more vulnerable to the disease is also perceived by the teacher, since the diet is greatly influenced by the time available for preparing food. Maria Elizabeth comments that, for example, those who work longer hours have less time to prepare a more adequate meal. In addition, the stress of a more vulnerable social condition can also contribute to triggering the disease.

Stigma is also directly related to the treatment of diabetes, since the disease is often seen as a hindrance and even an exclusion factor from the labor market. “Many patients hide that they have diabetes because they are afraid of losing their job or not going to seek medical attention, because that means losing a day of work”, exemplifies the doctor.

In addition to the greater difficulty in accessing medications and treatments by low-income countries, the level of education is also seen as crucial for coping with diabetes. According to Maria Elizabeth, the greater availability of information about the disease favors better prevention and combating diabetes.

Actions
To face the pathology, the doctor explains that about 80% of the treatment comes from changing the patient’s habits and the remaining part corresponds to the medications. In Brazil, it is already possible to notice a great support from public health with medicines and from the Public Health System, despite the lack of access to new therapeutic options. Thus, the professor believes that a new look is needed for educating the population on the subject and, above all, on the possibility of preventing diabetes.