About 40% of Portuguese people with diabetes are not aware that they have the disease

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About 40% of Portuguese with type 2 diabetes do not know that they have the disease, because, according to endocrinologist Davide Carvalho, they usually do not show any symptoms and do not go to the doctor.

In an interview with Lusa Agency, in the context of World Diabetes Day and about the book of the British doctor Roy Taylor, “A Simple Guide to Reversing Type 2 Diabetes,” which was published in Portugal by Porto Editura, David Carvalho explained that it is part of the routine glucose measurement analysis.

“When we analyse, for example, the proportion of patients who are not diagnosed is, on average, about 40%, but, for example, between 30 and 40 years it can reach 60%, because these people are professionally active and do not. Do not go to the doctor or undergo tests“, he added.

According to the professor at the University of Porto School of Medicine, the symptoms of diabetes “More or less known“- Such as feeling very thirsty, urinating frequently, and the tendency to drink a lot of fluids, which appear during the disease phase.”more developed“, in which symptoms already appear.

David Carvalho, who advises regular health assessments, said it was best for people to get tests once a year, but noted that if they were done between three and five years, the majority would eventually be diagnosed.

“They must make assessments according to the context, because these patients often have a family history of diabetes or were born overweight or (…) are also obese or suffer from other diseases, such as high blood pressure for example, and therefore, in this Cases: Glucose measurement must be performed to diagnose diabetes.“, he confirmed.

According to the annual report of the Diabetes Observatory 2023, more than one million Portuguese are infected with the disease, mainly due to nutritional errors and lack of physical activity, in addition to genetic factors.

“In people who develop diabetes at age 70, the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy is lower than in those who develop it at 30/40. [anos]Why [esses] They live longer years with high, ultimately decompensated, glucose levels and have a greater risk of complications. That’s why she says diabetes can shorten life expectancy by about seven years for each diabetic patient, if relatively early.“, he stated.

In Portugal, about 90% to 95% of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes, with a lower incidence of type 1 diabetes than, for example, the Swedes and Finns.

With the increase in obesity during the Covid-19 pandemic, Davide Carvalho, citing Roy Taylor, stressed that to reverse diabetes, in the first stage, it is necessary to start “Very restricted diet“.

“[Perder] About 800 calories can make an individual lose weight and reverse diabetes. (…) We must not forget that for type 2 diabetes, nutritional care and reducing calorie intake are essential“, he confirmed.

The endocrinologist also pointed out that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, can destroy the beta cell (which produces insulin in the pancreas), causing diabetes.Very similar“With type 1 diabetes, insist on awareness campaigns, to prevent the increase of diabetics, which may reach 1,300 million in 2050 in the world.

“I think there must be campaigns, and there have already been some measures (…), such as imposing taxes on products, such as soft drinks, that contain excess sugar, and higher taxes on products that contain excess salt as well. There have been some measures. Of course they don’t pray. It also involves a lot of individual situations. (…) Every person is his own doctor to some extent and, therefore, must take measures that allow him to reduce his weight, monitor his weight, remain physically active, and have nutritional choices appropriate to his condition.“, highlighted.