virtually completely preventable. All they have to do is eat better, control their weights, and do more exercise, and no, I’m not being sarcastic when I say that’s “all they have to do” because it’s not really a lot to ask, especially for kids, whose diets are largely controllable by their parents or caregivers (at least until kids are into their teens), and most of whom would like nothing more than to be able to play and run more freely than most of them are allowed – or encouraged – to do these days.
.....If they don’t control their weights and do more exercise, since diabetes injures arteries, these kids quickly become much higher risk for developing diabetic complications including amputations, end-stage kidney disease, infections, blindness, skin ulcers, erectile dysfunction, nerve damage, chronic pain, and, of course, the two standout killers: heart attacks and strokes.
.....And to underline how intimately diabetes and cardiovascular disease are intertwined, you should know that a staggering 80 % of diabetics will die of a heart attack or a stroke. That’s why anyone at high risk of DM must pay particular attention to other risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, and especially must make sure to get their blood pressures and LDL levels (that’s the bad cholesterol) under control.
.....In fact, the current focus is to get diabetics to get their LDL levels down as low as possible (depending on whom you believe, this means LDL levels below 2.5 and even below 2.0), which for most people requires the use of medications such as statin drugs, and to keep their blood pressures below 130/80.
.....The best way to keep a lid on your BP, by the way, is either to buy your own BP cuff or to get it regularly monitored at your local pharmacy.
.....OK, now that I hope I got your attention for my favourite disease, let me make one final point: I truly believe that words like “disaster” and “catastrophe” should be reserved only for things we are certain will turn out horrendously, like the Canucks’ season, for example. Anything less serious than that only demeans those terms.
Dr. Art Hister can be heard on CKNW and other Corus Radio Network stations on House Calls on Saturdays at 10 AM, as well as seen on Global TV news on Saturday mornings at 9:20. |
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