16% of Hanoi people have pre-diabetes

The information was announced by Mr. Vu Cao Cuong, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Health, atGrassroots Health Day for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases - Diabetes, Hypertension,on November 11, in response to World Diabetes Day 2023. Here, doctors and nurses from Xanh Pon General Hospital and Ba Vi District General Hospital provided consultation, screening for diabetes, hypertension, general ultrasound... and provided free medicine to about 3,000 people in the district aged 40 and over. On this occasion, Ba Vi General Hospital also opened the Emergency Unit and Neonatal Unit with a total of 23 beds. This is a "Sister Hospital" model between Xanh Pon and Ba Vi hospitals, aiming at professional training, remote consultation, opening specialist clinics..., patients do not have to be transferred to higher levels.

Prediabetes is a condition in which the body has higher than normal blood sugar levels but not high enough to be diagnosed as a disease. Blood sugar levels in people with prediabetes are determined to be 100-125 mg/dL compared to 126 mg/dL in people with diabetes.

In Vietnam, 7.3% of the population suffers from this disease, or about 7 million people. The rate of pre-diabetes is 17.8%. More than 50% of diabetics in the community have not been diagnosed, and the disease is increasingly appearing in young people as the rate of overweight and obesity increases rapidly.

In Hanoi alone, in 1990, the rate of diabetes was only 1.1%. Currently, the latest survey results on diabetes among people aged 18 to 69 show that the rate of pre-diabetes is 16%; hyperglycemia is 10.2%; hypertension is 30.8%, and the rate of overweight and obesity has increased by 19.2%.

"This figure shows the explosion of diabetes, becoming a burden on health care, damaging the socio-economic development achievements of every country," Mr. Cuong said, adding that type 2 diabetes can be prevented by maintaining an ideal weight and increasing physical activity.

The disease can be reversed through lifestyle changes based on a healthy diet and increased physical activity. People with prediabetes still have the opportunity to slow the progression of the disease and even return to normal blood sugar levels. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are very important.

People who should be screened for prediabetes include people over 45, women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and people who are overweight or obese. People also need lifestyle interventions that include 150 minutes of physical activity a week, losing and maintaining a healthy weight, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat foods, and quitting smoking. If blood sugar levels are not controlled with lifestyle changes within 3-6 months, medication may be needed.