Did you know… today is World Diabetes Day?
A chronic and progressive disease, but also preventable. Read the warnings and advice of Dr. Luís Freitas, clinical director of HPM.
Diabetes is a chronic and progressive disease. Considered today an epidemic, the world health organization estimates the total number of diabetics in the world at around 250 million, with a frightening annual growth. According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Portugal is the European country with the highest prevalence of this pathology. Statistics point to one million diabetics, around 40 to 50% of whom are unaware of their disease. Every day in Portugal 200 new cases are diagnosed. These numbers have a negative social and economic impact on the budget of all countries and, in Portugal, expenditure on the treatment of Diabetes and its consequences represents 10% of total expenditure on health.
But it's not all bad news. The good news is that diabetes is preventable in most situations. All of us just need to bet on its prevention with small daily gestures: walking every day for 20 to 30 minutes and eating carefully. With this attitude it would probably be possible to reduce the number of patients with diabetes to less than half the current values.
It is up to all of us to implement and develop these measures starting today. Otherwise, we will be contributing to the progression of this epidemic.
14, November 2019