The discussion is viewable HERE!
Morbidity and the number of deaths caused by diabetes continue to increase not only in the world, but also in Latvia. In 2023, the number of first-time diabetes patients in our country was 7,712. Approximately 64 million adults and 300,000 children and young people suffer from diabetes in the World Health Organization region. Data show that every tenth person in the world between the ages of 20 and 79 suffers from diabetes.
Diabetes, like the disease associated with excessive accumulation of fat known as obesity or adiposity, does not have a single cause, the interaction of several factors contributes to its occurrence. The important thing is that by following your weight, preventing obesity or treating this disease, it is possible to avoid type 2 diabetes.
“The pharmacist is the most accessible health specialist, and often the first to see the “red flags” that the patient’s complaints about regular fatigue, hard-to-heal wounds, tingling hands may be related to diabetes, especially if there is also excess weight. Often, when we advise a patient to visit a family doctor, after receiving an indication of medicinal treatment from other specialists, he returns to the pharmacy – it is a satisfaction that we recommended him to visit a doctor. If the client chooses one pharmacy, then we can see improvements over time, that gradually less and less medicine should be used until the condition improves and health is restored. It is important for a person to get support not only from health care specialists, but also from family and loved ones,” said pharmacist Evita Lārmane of “Mēnes Aptiekas” in the discussion. Likewise, the participants of the discussion repeatedly emphasized that it is the understanding of loved ones, a healthy diet and an active lifestyle that are essential prerequisites for regaining health if there is obesity. Only after carefully evaluating the health of each patient, bariatric surgery is chosen as a treatment method in some cases, confirmed Maksims Mukāns, surgeon of AIWA Clinic, board member of the Latvian Association for Obesity Care.
Data show that up to 90% of type 2 diabetes patients are found to be overweight. Although research is still ongoing to find out exactly how obesity contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes, scientists and doctors no longer doubt the existence of such a connection.
The number of people with diabetes in Latvia in 2022 is 98,055 (~ 39% men, 61% women). This year, the number of diabetes patients registered for the first time is approaching eight thousand, 46% of them are men, 54% are women*.
Una Gailiša, endocrinologist of the Paula Stradins Clinical University Hospital, head of the outpatient department of the Endocrinology Center, president of the Association of Endocrinologists, Indra Štelmane, doctor of medical sciences, endocrinologist, diabetologist, president of the Latvian Diabetes Federation, Lolita Vija Neimane, dietitian, Riga participated in the discussion organized by “Mēnes Aptiekas”. Stradiņš University lecturer, head of the study program “Nutrition” and “Nutrition Science”, Maksims Mukāns, surgeon at “AIWA Clinic”, Evita Lārmane, pharmacist at “Mēness Aptiekas”, Gunta Freimane, chairman of the board of the Latvian Diabetes Association, master of psychology and social sciences, lecturer and research assistant at Riga Stradins University.
It has already been announced that the public’s understanding of the impact of overweight and obesity on the development of type 2 diabetes is increasing, as revealed by comparing the results of the surveys on the risks of diabetes conducted by “Mēnes aptiekas” and the research agency “Norstat” two years ago and this October.
The results of this year’s survey show that the population cites obesity as the main risk factor for diabetes, followed by excessive consumption of sweets and sweetened beverages, as well as a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight. Of the participants of the survey conducted in 2024, 75% are convinced that excess weight causes diabetes – the number of people who think this way has increased, since two years ago this was the answer of 65% of the respondents. Overweight as a risk factor was most often – 78% – indicated by residents in the age group from 30 to 39 years old, this indicator is slightly lower among younger people, 72% of respondents aged 18 to 29 years answered this. Regionally, such an idea is most widely spread among the residents of Riga (79%), in 2022 the residents of Pierīga (70%) thought so the most. The least number of those who believe that excess weight causes diabetes live in Latgale (66%).
Source: www.diena.lv
