Gregorio Nicolás Sánchez decided to contact the Lanzarote Diabetes Association (Adila) when his seven-year-old daughter was diagnosed with this chronic disease. Shortly after, he found out that he himself suffered from diabetes, something he had never suspected.
Gregorio's case is not isolated. According to data provided by Adila, forty percent of diabetics do not know they are, and of the remaining sixty percent, a quarter are not informed enough to have the disease under control.
This Wednesday, World Diabetes Day, Adila is trying to make the population aware of the symptoms and treatment of this disease with an informative day in the middle of Calle Real de Arrecife. While the bells of the Cabildo Viejo strike twelve noon, several members of the Association are counting the people who, throughout the morning, have come to have a blood glucose test. There are more than a hundred. "We have queues all morning," explains Gregorio, satisfied with the reception of this informative "stand".
Adila is about to turn twenty years old. Almost two decades in which its main function is to inform and advise people who suffer from diabetes and their families. However, the Association also watches over the interests of citizens, especially those with a higher than usual blood glucose level. The lack of medical specialists in Lanzarote also affects this group. And it is that after the only endocrinologist on the Island took leave almost three months ago, Lanzarote continues without a specialist to care for diabetes patients on an ongoing basis.
"Until two years ago we didn't even have an endocrinologist," explains Gregorio. "This is crazy, we have gone through three endocrinologists since then, we need more staff and more awareness: one has the feeling that public administrations do not give diabetes so much importance".
The president of Adila, Guayante Espinar, has contacted the new director of the Lanzarote Health Area, María José Costa, after the dismissal of Juan Manuel Sosa. According to members of the Association, Costa stated that Lanzarote will have an endocrinologist before the end of the year, to which would have to be added the return of the specialist who took leave in August, who was then said to return in four months. But these are promises that Gregorio distrusts, after a long struggle for the rights of diabetics.
"In Lanzarote it seems that everyone is good for everything," complains Gregorio. "People are not being treated by endocrinologists, but are being treated by family doctors". Gregorio points out that many parents, worried about their children with diabetes, decide to travel to Las Palmas, Santa Cruz or Madrid to visit an endocrinologist. "The solution to this situation is for public health to provide the means," says Gregorio, who also experiences the disease firsthand and also feels identified with the parents.
Diabetes, a little more known
According to Adila, seven percent of the Canarian population suffers from diabetes, and in Lanzarote alone there are about ten thousand people suffering from this disease. Two types can be differentiated in which the common denominator is a high level of glucose in the blood, although the origin is different. Type One diabetes usually occurs among children and adolescents and occurs rapidly. It is mainly due to the body's inability to produce insulin, the hormone that makes it possible for cells to use glucose.
Type Two diabetes is more common, especially in elderly people, covering around ninety percent of diabetics. In this case, the presence of glucose in the blood is higher than usual due to inadequate insulin secretion in the pancreas. In this case, the disease appears more slowly and progressively, but it is also more difficult to diagnose.
Adila insists on emphasizing that diabetes can be controlled without problems as long as it is detected in time and a control of diet and physical exercise is carried out. The Association advises people who suffer from this disease to lead a healthy life, exercising daily, and with a diet rich in vitamins and varied. It is also important to carry out daily insulin checks. Following these tips, it is easier to avoid the "side effects" of diabetes, such as vision problems, circulation problems and even cardiovascular problems.
The Lanzarote Diabetes Association has been carrying out activities all week. Last Saturday, a March for Diabetes was held from Arrecife to Playa Honda. A good way to promote exercise and healthy living, and to promote "diabetological education".
ACN Press