With the main objective of “knowing the risks to know the responses” , the activity promoted by the city's diabetologists this November 14th took place in Plaza 25 de Mayo, with a large number of attendees.
The professionals from Concordia belong to private entities and the Delicia Concepción Masvernat and Felipe Heras hospitals, and the Argentine Diabetes Society (Litoral Chapter), who worked jointly with the Health Secretariat, led by Dr. Mauro García, who highlighted the mayor Enrique Cresto's decision to support these types of awareness-raising days, which imply access to health resources for the entire community completely free of charge.
During the day, free medical check-ups, monitoring of disease indicators, and a space for advice and preventive talks by medical and nursing staff were carried out. The event was also attended by the Undersecretary of Health, Diego Sauré, the president of the CONASED Foundation, Leticia Ponzinibbio, the Director of Childhood, Adolescence and Family, Noelia Vargas, and nutritionists who are part of the Health Secretariat team.
In this sense, Dr. María Cecilia Pereira, a specialist in diabetes, explained that it is a growing disease worldwide and that is why we are gathered in the square to commemorate this date, an opportune moment to raise awareness and make it visible since it is a chronic disease. In the square, what we carried out was a test that exists worldwide that predicts and informs the patient about the risk they have of suffering from diabetes, which is why it is interesting that everyone can come, because it is known that there are many people who have diabetes and do not yet know it; therefore, being able to reach its diagnosis and early detection is very important to treat it and to prevent complications and for them to have a good quality of life”
According to the doctor, the test consists of several items related to the measurement of body mass index, potential consumption of fruits and vegetables, the performance of physical activity, and checking if they have other risk factors such as high blood pressure, or if they have a family history of diabetes. Then one adds up that score and, according to the total, it is the risk you have or not of suffering from diabetes at some point in your life.
THE PANDEMIC, A FACTOR THAT INFLUENCED PREVENTION NEGATIVELY
Pereyra pointed out that, of course, those two years we were in the pandemic did not work in our favor since it had an impact in every sense, from the abandonment of healthy habits to the emotional aspect, because the emotional also has a lot to do with this disease. “I could tell you that the pandemic was a very important factor for cases to continue increasing today”
A SILENT DISEASE
Another point that the professional was in charge of highlighting is that in most cases diabetes is asymptomatic. “In other words, it does not present symptoms, which is why it is important to have health check-ups with a primary care physician every year and, on the other hand, to pay attention to any of the clinical manifestations that may be alarming us: the most common are weight loss, continuous thirst, getting up at night to urinate several times, blurred vision, dry mouth, infections, among others; so it is important to consult your doctors frequently, with an annual check-up at least.”