A LARGE percentage of diabetics – maybe half – do not know they are suffering from the disease until five years after they get it, endocrinologist Dr Krinos Trokkoudis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
"The reason is because sometimes the first diabetes symptoms appearing are minimal or even non-existent and the person who has a slightly high sugar level might not realise it and carry on following his or her usual diet causing the sugar level to rise or remain the same. Either case is bad enough, because the objective is to lower it as much as possible," Trokkoudis said.
The way for people to tackle this problem is to have regular medical check-ups when they pass 40. According to test results and taking into account family history in diabetes, people in the 40-50 age bracket should have check-ups every three or five years, and over 50, every two, he said.
About 5 to 7 per cent of the population is suffering from diabetes, as it happens in all developed countries, said Trokkoudis.
Diabetes’ symptoms are: Fatigue, micturition, unexplained thirst, gynaecological infections for women, eye problems and slow healing of injuries.
"I think that unlike in other European countries, people and doctors in Cyprus are very well aware of the severity of the disease and of its symptoms. I think we have managed to raise awareness on this matter," said Trokkoudis.
People take good care of themselves, have regular check-ups and go on therapy once they are diagnosed with diabetes, he said.
But as far as state hospitals are concerned, Trokkoudis said their staff did not have the time to urge people to have check-ups, because they were sorely over-stretched, barely managing with emergencies.
"Family doctors are the ones to advise their patients about what examinations to go through and when. Of course, people have the right to have check-ups at hospitals if they wish," Trokkoudis said.
A survey published in the UK yesterday showed up to one million people suffering from diabetes in Britain were not aware of it because of lack of knowledge about the symptoms. There are another 1.4 million people who have the disease and do know it.
"Diabetes is one of the most serious health issues we are facing in the UK today and if society keeps on ignoring its importance we will be facing a potential health time bomb," said Paul Streets, chief executive of the Diabetes UK charity, which commissioned the survey.
