Rise of Diabetes in Pregnant Women Up

(PIA6) – – The Diabetes Information Team Incorporated conducted a symposium on Diabetes in Pregnancy with doctors, midwives, and government health workers to talk about the growing health concern of diabetes during pregnancy.

Dr. Angel Araneta, diabetologist and over all coordinator of the DIT said that cases of diabetes in pregnancy now is about 5 to 15 percent.

“There could be a rise although not really noticed yet, because we have no updated statistics on this, but definitely even in our practice, we encounter more and more cases,” Araneta told PIA.

This was supported by Dr. Anna Belen Alensuela, one of the resource persons during the symposium who said that in the country, we have high incidence of Gestational Diabetes.

This diabetes during pregnancy is called Gestational Diabetes which happens when a woman, who doesn’t have diabetes prior to pregnancy, becomes pregnant, and develops diabetes.

“Culturally, Asians have high risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy. There is the need to emphasize to control glucose and the best way is to monitor it properly, because a lot of things will be affected both for mother and child,” Alensuela said.

According to Araneta, 30 percent of the women who developed gestational diabetes end up with full blown diabetes five years after pregnancy.

Araneta added that it is a fact now that we eat more and spend energy less, thus, an imbalance equation.

“It’s the parents really that should come in and teach the next generation to go back to simple lifestyle,” Araneta said, adding that he used to diagnosed patients with diabetes at 70 years old but now he even treat patients with diabetes at their 20’s.

The public especially those who can’t afford private consultations is urged to avail of the free clinic every last Sunday of the month at the Bishop Antonio Y Fortich Clinic for Lifestyle Diseases inside the Sacred Heart Seminary at the back of Lupit Church from 7:00AM to 11:00AM.

“It would be nice if we learn more about these lifestyle diseases, learn more about ourselves, and our anatomy,” Araneta added. (JCM/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)