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This World Diabetes Day, take a pledge to stay healthy & diabetes free.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. A deadly illness when not managed properly, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and lower limb amputation.
Why should you get a diabetes screening?
Because diabetes is a silent killer, you should screen annually, or immediately after you start showing the following symptoms:
- Extreme thirst
- Blurred vision
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Headache
- Irritability
You should also screen if you are at risk of diabetes.
The following persons are at risk of becoming diabetic:
- Persons with a family history (parent or sibling) of type 1 diabetes.
- Persons with injury to their pancreas.
- Persons suffering physical stress
- Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American race or Pacific Islander persons.
- Obese persons
- Persons with a history of heart disease, or high cholesterol.
- Physically inactive persons.
- Persons 45 years or older.
- Persons with a history of gestational diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
The four main types of diabetes are:
Type 2 diabetes
This type of diabetes is primarily the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity. It arises from the body’s ineffective use of insulin and can be delayed and prevented with healthy lifestyle changes such as eating healthy and being active.
More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Previously referred to as insulin-dependent, juvenile or childhood-onset diabetes, this diabetes type is characterised by low insulin production. Thus, patients often require daily insulin administration.
Note: There is no known cause nor means to prevent this diabetes type.
Gestational diabetes
This diabetes develops in some women during their pregnancy. It is a condition in which blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy. Usually, gestational diabetes goes away after pregnancy. However, if you have suffered gestational diabetes, you’re at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a term used to describe the stage before Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes patients have a higher-than-normal blood sugar level that is not high enough to be officially diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes.
Are there particular tests to carry out if I want a diabetes screening?
An early diabetes diagnosis is crucial for treatment and achievable through tests such as a random blood sugar test, urine test and more.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about the various tests you can carry out to screen for diabetes.
Treatment
Depending on what type of diabetes you have, blood sugar monitoring, insulin shots, oral drugs, pancreas transplant, and barbaric surgery may be part of your treatment. Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and regular physical activity are also essential to managing diabetes.
How to book your diabetes screening
Please send a Whatsapp message to 2348084295796 to book your screening with us. You may also walk into any of our health centres near you.
Alternatively, If you’d prefer to carry out the test as part of a comprehensive body checkup, click here. Next, select and pay for our health check packages.