HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam has instituted many screening programmes for diabetes andpre-diabetes as part of efforts to reduce the rate of undiagnosed diabetics andprotect people from cardiometabolic disorders which are intrinsically linkedwith diabetes and a major cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide,according to experts.

Prof Ernesto Maddaloni of University Campus Bio-Medico in Italy cited anestimation by the International Diabetes Federation that in Vietnam, 53.4 percentof diabetes patients were undiagnosed as of last year.

Globally, one in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed, according to theprofessor. 

“Diabetes is a silent disease without any symptoms in the early stages,” hetold Vietnam News on the sidelines of an international conference on“Cardiometabolic disorders in clinical practices”. It is a devastating disease whose complications make it one of the major causesof morbidity and mortality, he said.

“People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have cardiovasculardiseases.”

It’s also the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, blindness andnon-traumatic lower-limb amputation, and negatively affects pregnancy outcomesand the nervous system.

A questionnaire for screening diabetes should be used by general practitionerslike in his country, he said.

When they detect people with signs of diabetes or pre-diabetes, they recommendtests to confirm it.

Prof Kun-Ho Yoon from the department of endocrinology & metabolism at SeoulSt.Mary’s Hospital in the Republic of Korea said "Vietnam should have ascreening tool to improve the effectiveness of diabetes diagnosis."

According to Assoc Prof Nguyen Thy Khue of the department of endocrinology atthe HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy the Ministry of Health anddiabetes and endocrinology associations are carrying out screening programmes.

They have instructed hospitals around the country to do blood tests of allpatients aged more than 40 to detect pre-diabetes and diabetes.

The Ministry of Health has recommended that people aged more than 45 with anyrisk element such as obesity or hypertension or relatives with diabetes shouldtest their blood sugar even if they do not have any symptom of diabetes.

In the national multi-sectoral strategy for non-communicable diseases for2015-25, many communications programmes to improve people’s awareness ofdiabetes have been done on the media including TV.

Moreover, annual health examinations provided for staff by companies includetests for blood sugar.

People with pre-diabetes should be monitored properly to avoid the onset ofdiabetes, Khue said.  

They should change their lifestyle, reducing drinking and stopping smoking,exercising and eating a balance diet.

Depending on their health situation, doctors could also prescribe medicines forpeople with pre-diabetes.

"But the cost of these medicines is not covered by health insurance,"she said.

Preventive measures could halt 50 percent of the progression towards diabetes,she said.

The conference was held last weekend by non-profit organisation Excellence inMedical Education.

It consisted of presentation and question and answer sessions, discussions onclinical cases and interactive demonstrations of clinical cases and teamwork toprovide participants, all endocrinologists and cardiologists, with knowledgeabout obesity, the dangers of prediabetes, personalised diabetes treatment, andresponsive treatment for patients with high blood pressure.

Like diabetes, thyroid disorders are among the most common endocrine diseasesand also impact cardiovascular homeostasis.

Unfortunately, a great number of patients with thyroid diseases areundiagnosed, exacerbating morbidity and reducing the quality of life, accordingto health experts at a conference held in HCM City.

Thus, there is a need for clear recommendations allowing effective and promptrecognition of the most frequent thyroid disorders to adequately treat patientsand avoid adverse clinical outcomes.-VNS/VNA