Georgetown : Being inflicted with diabetes today can no longer be considered a death sentence with the numerous medical advances that have been made over recent years. However, adhering to healthy lifestyle habits could in fact prove to be almost miraculous for persons diagnosed with the disease. Well at least this is according to the findings of a study which was undertaken by Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Guyana, Dr Emanuel Cummings. Dr Cummings presented details of his Region Three focused research findings on Friday as part of his contribution to the University’s Research Day Activity.
Entitled ‘the effect of lifestyle practices on blood glucose levels and the development of diabetic complications in women with Type Two Diabetes Mellitus in Guyana’, Dr Cummings said that his research was premised on the fact that there was a significant rise in Type Two Diabetes Mellitus.
These facts, according to him, were based on data emanating from the Ministry of Health’s Statistical Bulletin in 2006 at which time diabetes was ranked as the third major cause of death in Guyana. The data Dr Cummings was tasked with considering was reflective of patients attending health centers and clinics across the country and revealed that between the years 2000 and 2005, the number of females diagnosed with diabetes increased from 4,788 to 7,514, representing a 36 per cent increase compared to males whose numbers increased from 2,542 to 3,553.
In fact according to Dr Cummings, the diabetic cases examined in Region Three accounted for 7.1 per cent of all first visits, with the majority being females. Further still, he pointed out that the data from the Health Ministry had suggested that nationally, diabetes was listed as the major cause of deaths among females between the age group of 45 and 64; amounting to some 18 per cent.
Diabetic complications, according to Dr Cummings, have long been associated with inadequate blood glucose, plasma lipids and blood pressure monitoring, poor adherence to medication, unhealthy eating practices, smoking and alcohol consumption among others. In Guyana, he revealed that T2DM-induced cardiovascular diseases account for about 15 per cent of the total health sector budget.
Records from the diabetes register in Region Two, (a border Region of Three) found that of 226 diabetic patients, 209 had already had some form of diabetic complications at the time of the undertaking of the study. In light of these statistics on T2DM, Dr Cummings’s study was designed to evaluate the healthy lifestyle practices inclusive of diet, exercise, adherence to medication, adequate blood glucose monitoring, of diabetic women who attended the Diabetic Clinic at the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three.
The rationale, Dr Cummings explained, was to ascertain whether life style habits contributed to the increase in the number of T2DM cases among women in this region and what steps could be taken to reduce both the number and the cost to the national health services in Guyana. Several studies in other parts of the world, he mentioned, have shown that lifestyles may have an impact on blood glucose levels and the development of diabetic complications.
He pointed out that the results of this study have clearly shown that patients who adapted healthy lifestyle habits had lower mean random blood glucose (RBS) and fasting blood glucose (FBS) levels when compared to those who did not. “These patients also had lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and showed a reduce risk for the development of long term T2DM complications. In addition, T2DM patients who adapted to healthier lifestyle habits also showed a reduce dependency on medication for the management of their diabetic condition,” Dr Cummings revealed.
As such his findings have given credence to a possible conclusion that a healthy diet and regular exercise are the mainstay therapy for patients with T2DM and to achieve this, the patients must adhere to life style changes in order to enjoy a better quality of life.
