Irekia Eusko Jaurlarica – Basque Government :: Cruces University Hospital participates in a study on early detection of diabetes in children

World Diabetes Day – November 14

• Research spanning three decades shows that screening for type 1 diabetes in the pediatric population can reduce complications, reduce hospitalizations, and control disease progression.
• More than 162,000 Basques suffer from diabetes: 89% of cases are type 2 diabetes, which can be controlled through diet and exercise; and about 9,000 people have type 1 diabetes, who need insulin because the pancreas doesn’t produce it.

The Cruces de Osakidets University Hospital has been involved in a study of early detection of type 1 diabetes in first-degree relatives of patients with the disease for three decades. This study shows that implementing strategies for early detection of type 1 diabetes in the pediatric population can significantly reduce diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious complication that affects up to 30-50% of cases at clinical onset and poses a serious risk to life). ; in addition to reducing hospitalizations through protocolized surveillance; Ease the transition to living with diabetes by reducing the physical and psychological impact; and monitoring disease progression. Osakideca cares for 640 girls and boys with type 1 diabetes (T1D), a disease caused by insufficient insulin production in the pancreas.

This was announced by the Department of Health of the Basque Government as part of World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated annually on November 14. Along with the Cruces de Osakidets University Hospital, five other hospitals in the state took part in the study, which involved more than 3,000 people over 30 years.

T1DM is an autoimmune disease that begins to develop several months or even years before its clinical manifestation. This pathology can be detected in the early stages through a finger prick test and analysis that allows the disease to be identified in the early stages, allowing for earlier treatment and providing a better prognosis and quality of life.

The Ministry of Health is working to evaluate the effectiveness of an early detection program for type 1 diabetes in the Basque Country to find out what its impact will be and make recommendations for implementation at the population level. Activities related to this disease, such as the aforementioned screening, will be included in the Comprehensive Diabetes Management Plan that will be developed by the Ministry of Health.

DIABETES IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects more than 162,000 Basques, of whom 55% are men and 45% are women.

Of the 162,601 patients with diabetes identified by Osakidetza, 89% of cases (144,348 people) were type 2 diabetes; It mainly affects older people and can be controlled through diet and exercise. There are other types of diabetes on the Basque Health Service’s radar, among them are cases of type 1 diabetes (9,155 people), these cases require insulin because the pancreas does not produce it.

If we look at the data for the historical territories, there are 22,046 people with diabetes in Araba, 86,302 in Vizcaya and 53,942 in Guipuzcoa; 271 people are from other countries.

On World Diabetes Day, the Ministry of Health and Osakidetza emphasize the importance of constantly monitoring blood sugar levels to avoid complications. Moreover, prevention through developing healthy habits is considered the “key” in the fight against diabetes. A person needs to monitor his diet, weight, physical activity, hygiene, prescription and modification of pharmacological treatment, actions in unfavorable situations (hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, intercurrent diseases…). Likewise, diabetes education is considered a fundamental part of the ability to take daily control of your disease and integrate disease self-management into your daily life. To do this, we can count on our health workers and read the information on the information and training portal for citizens Osasun Eskola.

https://www.osakidetza.euskadi.eus/diabetes-paciente-cronico/webosk00-oskenf/es/