A dream to achieve: diabetes erradication in Guatemala

Abstract

Diabetes is a health problem with social and economic consequences. The worldwide prevalence of diabetes is raising; by 1985 there were 30 million of people with diabetes, 177 million by the year 2000 and it is estimated that in 2030 there will be around 438 million people with diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes in Guatemala it’s around 8% of the population, however it is unknown the prevalence of the underdiagnosed and pre-diabetes. Guatemala has high obesity, overweight and sedentary index which increase the risk of diabetes. Worldwide every 6 seconds somebody dies as a consequence of diabetes and in Guatemala represents the third cause in general mortality. The analysis is made about type 2 diabetes which represents 90% of all diabetes and in general is preventable. The author proposes 3 moments in the diabetes natural history: (1) healthy patients that will become diabetics, (2) diabetics who will have a complication related to the disease and (3) complicated patients who will decease. During these three moments there are interventions to be done, however there are non-preventable programs and the inefficiency of the public assistant system. The author proposes possible solutions in base of scientific evidence to stop the raising of diabetes, lowering micro and macro vascular complications and overall to generate a preventive culture in Guatemala.