China News Service, Beijing, January 24 (Shao Meng) In recent years, the prevalence of diabetes in China has been on the rise. The "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in China (2020 Edition)" released by the Diabetes Branch of the Chinese Medical Association showed that from 2015 to 2017 In 2017, the prevalence of diabetes among people aged 18 and above in China reached 11.2%.
In the general public perception, diabetes is a disease of middle-aged and elderly people. However, in recent years, there has been an obvious trend of younger people with diabetes in my country, and more and more young people and even teenagers have become diabetic patients.
Why are more and more young people being targeted by diabetes?
Who is prone to developing diabetes?
What are the telltale signs of diabetes?
Is this disease preventable or curable?
More and more young people are suffering from "senile diseases"
The distance between young people and diabetes may be closer than many people think.
In April 2020, the British Medical Journal published the research results of cooperation between China Medical University, Zhengzhou University, Xi'an Jiaotong University and other units. This survey based on a sample of 75,880 participants in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country showed that my country The prevalence of diabetes among people aged 18 to 29 has reached 2%, and among those aged 30 to 39, it is 6.3%.
The Global Burden of Disease Database also shows that from 2010 to 2019, the incidence of type 2 diabetes among patients aged 20 to 35 years in China increased significantly.
It is reported that type 2 diabetes is a disease caused by genetic and environmental factors that lead to insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell damage. It is more related to acquired diet and lifestyle habits.
Type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which patients are usually unable to secrete insulin themselves.
In our country, about 90% of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes.
Why does diabetes “target” young people?
Talking about the reasons why diabetes patients are getting younger, Chen Yanming, deputy director of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and leader of the Department of Endocrinology, pointed out at the "United Nations Diabetes Day: Risks and Responses" free clinic event that this is related to changes in lifestyle and the fast pace of social work. There is a certain relationship.
"Staying up late playing on mobile phones and computers, eating irregularly, etc. may affect endocrine hormones. In addition, factors such as daily lack of exercise, high pressure in study, life, and work, and emotional anxiety may also induce diabetes."
Professor Wang Guang, director of the Endocrinology Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, believes that the incidence of type 2 diabetes is trending younger, and the increase in the number of early-onset type 2 diabetes is more related to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is closely related to obesity. In recent years, the number of obese people has increased. Changes in lifestyle and reduction in physical activity may lead to insulin resistance and waste a large amount of insulin prematurely, leading to early onset type 2. The occurrence of diabetes.
Who is more likely to be tricked?
Xiao Xinhua, chief physician of the Endocrinology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, introduced in the "Health Talk" live broadcast event in 2021 that most patients with diabetes, especially those with type 2 diabetes, have relatively clear predisposing factors.
For example, excessive intake of high-calorie foods and lack of exercise; obesity; bad habits and lifestyle patterns such as smoking and drinking.
In addition, as age increases, the body's beta cell function becomes worse and worse, and insulin resistance becomes more and more severe.
According to doctors’ recommendations, people with risk factors for diabetes should receive timely diabetes screening.
So, who are the high-risk groups for diabetes?
"China Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Guidelines (2017 Edition)" points out that people over 18 years old have conditions such as being over 40 years old, overweight, obese, having a family history of type 2 diabetes in first-degree relatives, abnormal blood pressure and blood lipids, etc. The above can be defined as high-risk groups for diabetes and require diabetes screening, self-management and health intervention.
In addition, the study found that those who are 40 years old and above; overweight and obese; high blood pressure; dyslipidemia and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; sedentary people; family history of diabetes; history of gestational diabetes; macrosomia (birth weight ≥ 4Kg) Those who have a history of diabetes; fasting blood sugar ≥6.1mmol/L; suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome; long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs and other factors are among the high-risk groups for diabetes.
Early detection and early intervention are important
Diabetes is still a lifelong disease that cannot be cured. Only measures such as controlling blood sugar can be taken to delay the occurrence of complications.
Its harm to the human body is often underestimated. In fact, diabetes complications may spread throughout the body, such as retinopathy, diabetic foot, kidney failure, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular and other multi-organ diseases, resulting in disability or even death.
Although diabetes is very harmful, it is preventable and controllable.
There are still a large number of people with prediabetes in our country. "People with prediabetes are not considered diabetics, but their blood sugar is higher than that of the general population. If intervention is carried out at this time, good results will be achieved. People with prediabetes generally do not need to take medicine. Through lifestyle intervention, most people can return to normal." Xiao Xinhua said in the aforementioned live broadcast.
Zhu Dalong, chairman of the Diabetes Society of the Chinese Medical Association, also wrote that 50% or more of diabetes can be prevented, but currently only about 50% of diabetic patients have received diabetes health education.
Diabetes-related health education should be widely carried out to increase people's awareness and participation in diabetes prevention and treatment, and promote a healthy lifestyle of reasonable diet, weight control, moderate exercise, salt restriction, smoking cessation, alcohol restriction, and psychological balance.
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