When Manav (name changed), a bank manager in Tiruttani, was advised to have cataract surgery, he was only 48 years old. His blood glucose levels were checked as part of the pre-surgery tests, and they were found to be extremely high. Manav was informed that the cataract surgery couldn’t take place until his blood sugar levels returned to normal. For Manav, cataract surgery was a necessity, and having high blood sugar was just a short-term problem that could be solved right away.
Manav went to see Dr. Gunavathi, the diabetologist at Peacock hospital, at the advice of his eye surgeon. Dr. Gunavathi examined his reports and put him on an insulin regimen and stringent diet. Manav, however, had no desire to adhere to any elaborate diet plans or alter his way of life. “Why do you think I am a diabetic patient? I have only come here to learn how to control my blood sugar so that I can have eye surgery,” he complained.
What Manav fails to comprehend is the fact that having diabetes is the reason he developed cataracts at such a young age. “In many cases, people realize they are diabetic only after they visit a doctor for some other seemingly unrelated health problem,” says Dr. Gunavathi. Diabetes is a slow killer and is quickly rising to the top of the list of global health concerns. With a 40% incidence rate, or 4 out of every 10 people, India has become the world’s diabetic capital.
Diabetes is a condition that can affect every other organ and function and, over time, have a significant negative impact on one’s health. In addition to many other complications, it can cause renal failure, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and loss of proprioception in the feet, which can result in toe, foot, and other amputations.
As the younger population begins to be affected by the disease, the devastating effects of diabetes are sharply increasing. Dr. Gunavathi, who works as an anesthesiologist and intensivist at Peacock Hospital in Tiruttani, was inspired by this to specialize in diabetes. She wants to raise awareness among the populace so that diabetes can be found in its earliest stages. Dr. Gunavathi believes that increasing the prevalence of screening tests and routine physical examinations will help curb this menace.
Dr. Gunavathi claims that while diabetes may not be completely curable, it can be managed with timely medication, dietary modifications, routine testing, and exercise. One needs to accept that they have diabetes in order to achieve this. “Many people, including Manav, believe that high blood sugar is a temporary condition that can be treated easily. They don’t want people to know they are taking diabetes medication and need to follow a strict diet all the time,” says Dr. Gunavathi.
Dr. Gunavathi questions, “If well-educated people like Manav are so unaware of diabetes and its related health concerns, how much can we expect out of the less fortunate population?” Making dietary and lifestyle changes is a significant challenge, and maintaining those changes over an extended period is even more difficult.
The goal of Dr. Gunavathi’s advocacy work is to raise awareness of diabetes and its associated health issues. “Diabetes is the doorway to all other illnesses in your body. Every other issue, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, eye, heart, and other problems, will start to manifest once you allow diabetes in,” warns Dr. Gunavathi.