• More than 347* million people worldwide suffer from diabetes

• Diabetes accounts for approximately 10% of all health care spending worldwide

• Diabetes can be silent and symptoms can easily go unnoticed

• Early detection and good management can prevent complications

 

14th November 2012: More than 347 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide. The personal and commercial impact of this epidemic is immense with no country unaffected**. Long-term effects of diabetes can include: Blindness, gangrene, renal failure and heart disease. Globally diabetes is consuming an ever greater portion of medical costs, accounting for approximately 10% of all health care spending according to the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice in 2010.

 

Dr. Craig Stark, Medical Director, North Asia at International SOS explains: “Over the last three years alone, we helped 1,500 individuals for diabetes-related issues through our assistance centres. We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg as diabetes is often a factor in other illnesses experienced by our members. With diabetes on the rise, an increasing number of people are living and working with the disease.”

 

Diabetes can be silent. Symptoms can easily go unnoticed.

Type 1 diabetes is called insulin-dependent diabetes and requires regular injections of insulin to stabilise blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is much more common, accounting for 90% of all cases. Symptoms of diabetes can include   thirst, fatigue and frequent urination. In many instances, there are no symptoms of diabetes in the early stages;   symptoms can be non-specific and go unnoticed.

 

Case study

A 52-year old female traveller from Germany was abroad on a business trip in Boston, Massachusetts. Over the previous 6-months, she had lost weight unintentionally. She had experienced dizzy spells and visual disturbances.  After suffering a particularly strong sensation of vertigo and nausea, she called International SOS. The doctor at the London assistance centre took her medical history and was concerned. He booked an appointment at an urgent care centre in Boston. The attending physician doctor confirmed her blood sugar was high. She was admitted to the hospital to stabilise her blood sugar, for rehydration and to commence insulin. After her initial recovery, she was referred to an ophthalmologist for her eyesight. With proper diagnosis and management of her condition, she continued to improve and was able to manage her diabetes.

 

Early detection and good management can prevent complications

In many cases, type 2 diabetes is preventable. Dr Stark said: “If you have risk factors for diabetes including a family history of the disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, are overweight or pregnant get tested for diabetes -- even if you have no symptoms. In addition, some authorities recommend testing every three years for people over 45 years of age. While it is alarming to get a diagnosis of diabetes, in many cases, it is possible to monitor and control the condition so you live a normal, healthy life.”

 

Managing diabetes requires healthy lifestyle changes. Patients will need to monitor their blood sugar, may need to take medication regularly and follow up with their doctor. Studies suggest that thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

Travellers or expatriates with diabetes should carry their diabetes medication in their hand luggage, together with a copy of their prescription. It is important to take more than is needed for the duration of the trip as travellers never know if a trip will be unavoidably delayed or extended.

 

Other advice includes: Keep medications in their original packaging with all pharmacy labelling intact. 

 

People with diabetes should have a note from their healthcare provider on letterhead, describing the medication and why it’s needed. Having the note in the language of the destination country is very useful. If travellers run out of medication, they should call their medical assistance provider or see a doctor as soon as possible to get their specific preparation of insulin.

 

Case study

A 56-year old male working in Basra, Iraq had run out of his diabetes tablets 3-days prior to calling International SOS. He was a project manager for an engineering company on a five-month assignment. He went to a local physician in Basra, but the pharmacy didn’t have his specific medication. He called International SOS just as he was starting to feel unwell. The patient’s blood sugar was high; he was constantly thirsty and urinating frequently. The nearest pharmacy with his prescription was in Dubai. The International SOS doctor determined he remained fit to fly. The patient flew to Dubai that afternoon, saw a local physician and was prescribed his diabetes tablets. Over the next few days, International SOS called the patient on a daily basis, medically monitoring his condition. Within a week the patient was able to return to Basra and complete his assignment.