AVH marks World Diabetes Day with Blue Circle

BY JOHN DECOSTE

Clients and staff of the Diabetes Centre at Valley Regional Hospital, along with family members, friends and supporters, formed a Blue Circle on the hospital’s helipad last week to help mark Nov. 14 as World Diabetes Day.

According to Annapolis Valley Health public affairs spokesperson Tamara Gilley, “the Blue Circle is the global symbol for diabetes.”

The large circle, with everyone wearing blue and holding hands, “represents unity in the fight against diabetes” and also symbolizes support for the United Nations resolution passed in December, 2006 that designated Nov. 14 as World Diabetes Day worldwide.

This resolution was a landmark event, Gilley pointed out, as “it acknowledged for the first time that a non-infectious disease poses a serious threat to world health.”

Gilley noted in a release marking the event that the focus of World Diabetes Day this year “is on diabetes in children and adolescents, which is on the rise.”

As recently as 1992, Nova Scotia reported no cases of Type 2 diabetes in youth under 19. The most recent statistics show that about 12 per cent of new cases of Type 2 diabetes in Nova Scotia are in people under age 19. This figures are similar for the Valley region.

More than 6,600 visits

In 2007, an estimated 6.8 per cent of Nova Scotians had diabetes. More than 6,600 visits were made to AVH’s three diabetes centres during 2007-2008.

Among the AVH staff taking part in the Blue Circle were certified diabetes educator Janice Knapp and dietician Bev Harris, both of the VRH Diabetes Centre, and Dr. Lynne Harrigan, vice president of Medicine and Medical Advisor to the Diabetes Centre.

They all agreed that the three most pressing conditions affecting the health and well-being of Nova Scotians today are “diabetes, heart disease and cancer, in that order.”

In fact, Knapp said, “the Canadian Diabetes Association’s slogan is ‘one in five people with diabetes survives heart disease. We can do better’.”

Knapp, Harris and Dr. Harrigan all agreed that the incidence of diabetes, and particularly Type 2 Diabetes, “is reaching epidemic proportions worldwide.”

Type 1 diabetes is defined as “an auto-immune problem that destroys the cells that produce insulin” naturally in the body. A person with Type 1 diabetes “must have insulin (either by ingestion or injection) in order to survive.”

In Type 2 diabetes, “the pancreas still produces insulin, just not enough of it.” The patient can develop “insulin resistance, which is directly related to weight.”

Alarming numbers

In general terms, about eight per cent of the population has Type 2 diabetes. The alarming thing, Harris points out, is “not that the numbers are growing, but that they’re getting younger and younger, meaning people with Type 2 diabetes are ending up having to live longer with it, and the devastating consequences that can come with it.”

As for what people can do to lessen the risks, Knapp, Harris and Harrigan all agree that “maintaining a healthy lifestyle” is crucial in preventing, or at least delaying, the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

“Exercise regularly, make healthy eating choices, be aware of the risk factors and be tested regularly. If you already have diabetes, exercise and healthy eating become even more important.

“Diabetes doesn’t kill people, but the complcations from diabetes certainly can.”

The biggest problem in dealing with diabetes is that “there are no real symptoms or warning signs.” In fact, “50 per cent of people with diabetes have no symptoms at all.”

Knapp, Harris and Dr. Harrigan all remind people that “it’s important to look after yourself. Get out and exercise daily and eat healthy. When it comes to diabetes, you’re the boss. We can help you, but we can’t do it for you. You have to do it yourself.”