Efficient management can prevent and control diabetes

Effective measures and patient management are urgently needed for better prevention and control of diabetes, health authorities and experts said on Tuesday, World Diabetes Day.

About 10 percent of adults around the world are estimated to have diabetes, and almost half of them are not diagnosed. About 6.7 million deaths are caused by diabetes each year worldwide. By 2030, there are expected be 643 million diabetics globally.

About 12.8 percent of Chinese adults have diabetes. In Shanghai, the incidence for people over 35 years old is 21.6 percent. Among patients who are undergoing treatment, only 30 percent have their glucose levels under control, said the Shanghai Health Commission, which is building a citywide medical network for diabetes screening, intervention, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

To help better control diabetes, Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital has initiated a program to launch 1,000 metabolic management centers to cater to 10 million diabetics, in order to reduce China's diabetes incidence by 1 percent and cut diabetes-related complications by 10 percent.

New technologies

So far, more than 1,100 hospitals in China have established MMCs.

Based on smart technologies, the centers have formed a new health care model through big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things to improve medical efficiency, effects, and patients' treatment outcomes, said Dr Wang Weiqing, director of Ruijin Hospital's endocrinology and metabolism department .

"Patients who have received our MMC management have seen very positive effects," Wang said. "The control rate for diabetes has risen from 18.72 percent to 44.66 percent, while those whose blood pressure, glucose levels, and blood fat all meet the standard have risen from 6.12 percent to 17.15 percent. These data mean the proper management of MMCs can help weaken the risk of various diabetes-related complications, reducing disability, and mortality eventually."

According to experts, people should test their glucose levels each year after reaching the age of 40 and people at risk of diabetes should overhaul their diet and increase physical exercise. Obese people can greatly reduce their risk of diabetes by reducing their weight.

Proper nutrition, exercise, medication, health education, and regular glucose screenings are the five key measures for diabetes management.