By Motolani AbdulGafar
A parasitologist, Dr Wasiu Adelodun, has urged residents to be proactive with their health status by repeatedly checking their glucose level even without being diagnosed as a diabetic patient.
According to him, high glucose level is an ailment that now affects larger percentage of people, noting that it affects not only the children in type 1 diabetes, old people in type 2 diabetes but also young adults.
He explained that a diagnosed patient with diabetes can best manage the disease in order to keep their risk factors under control and within normal range unlike an individual that neglects basic necessities that can be life threatening and lead to organ damage.
He noted that medical establishments around the world have started carrying out the test in communities which young adults ignore with the belief that only patients of type 1 and 2 diabetes are liable.
Adelodun said pregnant women who experience Gestational diabetes are at higher risk of contracting type 2 diabetes later in life which, according to him, is a reason recurrent checkup is necessary for all and sundry before being diagnosed with prediabetes as certain medical prescription are needed to follow in order to prevent or manage the disease.
“Treatments for diabetes depend on your type of diabetes, how well controlled your blood glucose level is and your other existing health conditions. For a patient diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it is a must to take insulin every day because the pancreas no longer makes insulin unlike those with type 2 diabetes whose treatments include medications, insulin and lifestyle changes such as losing weight, making healthy food choices and being more physically active.
“As a medical expert, prediabetes patients only need to prevent it from progressing to a diagnosed diabetes as prescribed treatments are always focused on treatable risk factors such as losing weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising for at least five days a week for 30 minutes,” he explained.
