415 million people worldwide have diabetes, and approximately 193 million do not know it. 90% of cases are type 2 diabetes. But despite the fact that this type of diabetes can be prevented, the incidence is increasing.
At first, type 2 diabetes has almost no signs and symptoms, and this leads to the fact that the diagnosis is first established when a person has been ill for several years. At the same time, irreversible changes can occur in the body, causing complications, for example, diabetic foot, retinopathy, etc. The disease is constantly progressing, so it is advisable to start treatment immediately after the diagnosis. And even better, at the stage of prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which the glucose level does not yet meet the criteria for diabetes, but already reflects a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. It signals that the risk of developing diabetes is very high. Prediabetes can be diagnosed using an analysis of fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin HbA1C. In the case of detection of prediabetes, lifestyle correction (increased physical activity, rational nutrition, etc.) will be effective in order to prevent the further development of type 2 diabetes. Management of people with prediabetes is the responsibility of the family doctor.
Ministry of Health of Ukraine