Myths about insulin deter its intake

Myths about insulin have been stopping many from taking the same which has led to its minimal use in the country, opine diabetologists.

Addressing an awareness programme organised by the Centre for Public Health and Awareness (CPHA), on the eve of World Diabetes Day, on Thursday, doctors stressed on the need to bust the commonly held myths about insulin.

Centre for Diabetes and Endocrine Care director Dr Prasanna Kumar said, “When compared to the western world, the average onset age for diabetes has dropped by at least a decade among Indians owing to high stress levels and sedentary lifestyles.

I now see an escalating number of relatively young diabetic patients in Bengaluru in their late 20s, 30s and 40s who will greatly benefit from insulin therapy in the long run. Early treatment with insulin is efficient in improving quality of life among patients with diabetes.”

Doctors also emphasised that the goals of diabetes management go beyond achieving sugar level control and that preventing long-term complications which involve functioning of vital organs such as heart, kidney, eyes as well as blood vessels is an equally critical objective in diabetes treatment.

“There is growing body of research that suggests that early treatment with insulin in suitable diabetic patients helps achieve both these objectives. Despite the obvious benefit of protecting functions of vital organs in diabetic patients, insulin treatment is often underutilised in India.

This primarily relates to the existing stigma in the community and other mindset barrier associated with use of injectables and syringes all of which compromise compliance to insulin therapy,” doctors explained.

A month -long diabetes programme camp arranged by BMTC on World Diabetics Day, will be inaugurated on Friday.