Vietnam is one of the countries in Southeast Asia with a prominent gene for diabetes.

This information was shared at the "Joining hands to care for diabetes" event recently organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Diabetes and Endocrinology Association in response to World Diabetes Day on November 14.

Diabetes, a chronic, non-communicable disease, is becoming one of the major challenges to public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified diabetes as a rapidly increasing problem. If left uncontrolled, the disease can cause serious damage to organs, especially nerves and blood vessels.

MSc. Dr. Diep Thi Thanh Binh, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Diabetes and Endocrinology Association, said that Vietnam is currently one of the countries in Southeast Asia with a prominent diabetes gene. Therefore, we need to always be aware of taking care of and promptly detecting this silent killer disease due to its acute and chronic complications.

According to information from the epidemiological survey of the Central Endocrinology Hospital, in 1992, 2.2% of people in Ho Chi Minh City had diabetes, 1.4% in Hanoi and 0.96% in Hue. However, the rate of people with the disease has increased significantly. There are about 7.3% of patients with diabetes nationwide, with the rate in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi alone increasing to 8.3%.

It is worth noting that for every person diagnosed with diabetes, there is another person who has not yet been diagnosed. Statistics from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) indicate that more than 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes and nearly half of these patients remain undiagnosed.

According to Dr. Binh, in many cases, type 2 diabetes and its complications can be delayed or prevented through maintaining healthy habits. However, if not detected and treated promptly, the disease can cause serious, even life-threatening complications.

For those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it is important to be aware of the risks and take steps to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease early. For those who already have the disease, access to accurate information and the use of medications and self-care tools to prevent complications is essential.