Diabetes Overview and TestingDiabetes awareness for managing a healthier lifestyle

Around the world, an estimated 463 million adults have diabetes. By 2045, this number will rise to over 700 million.

As diabetes across the globe continues to rise, so must the effort to raise awareness. 37% of all diabetic adults live in the Asia-Pacific region. In Africa, more than two-thirds of people with diabetes are undiagnosed. In Latin America, the number of people with diabetes will increase by 65% by 2040.¹ And in 2017, treating diabetes and its related conditions cost Americans about $327 billion in total medical costs and lost work and wages.²

Many of those who are undiagnosed may have or be at risk of prediabetes, and recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already occur in prediabetics.³

The diagnosis of diabetes is made primarily by the detection of hyperglycemia. There are many tools, however, in the arsenal of diabetes-related diagnostic tests. Diabetes-related assays are performed for various reasons on many different types of patients:

• Newly diagnosed diabetics - To help determine if they have type 1 or type 2 diabetes when the clinical indications are inconclusive.
• Type 2 diabetics - To monitor and adjust therapies.
• All diabetics - To test for diabetic  nephropathy by measuring their urinary albumin levels.
• Postmenopausal women - Studies indicate that this group may have an increased risk for cardiac mortality if they have an elevated urinary albumin level.
• Women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome - This syndrome affects 6 to 10 percent of all women, with 50 percent having insulin resistance. These women are at high-risk for developing type 2 diabetes. An abnormally elevated insulin level with hyperglycemia could indicate insulin resistance.

Those diagnosed with diabetes are encouraged to monitor their condition on a regular basis. By measuring hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), doctors can gauge your average blood sugar levels from the last 2-3 months and thereby provide a more tailored treatment plan. HbA1c measurement can also show whether treatment plans and lifestyle choices have been effective.

Type 1 Diabetes

• Formerly called “insulin-dependent” or “juvenile-onset” diabetes
• An autoimmune disease that causes destruction of pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for synthesizing and secreting insulin
• Accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diabetics

Type 2 Diabetes

• Formerly called “non-insulin-dependent” or “adult-onset” diabetes
• Caused by insulin resistance or inadequate insulin secretion
• Accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diabetes in developed countries

Pre-diabetes

• Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Impaired Fasting Glucose
• Individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes
• People with pre-diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke⁴

Siemens Healthineers offers a wide range of diabetes-related assays that aid in the differentiation of type 1 from type 2 diabetes, help to monitor glycemic control, and allow doctors to follow the progression of the disease through HbA1c monitoring.

To learn more about Siemens Healthineers chronic disease solutions for diabetes management at the point of care, click here.

1. Diabetes Atlas 2019, International Diabetes Federation
2. American Diabetes Association
3. Centers for Disease Control
4. www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
5. https://worlddiabetesday.org