On the eve of 'World Diabetes Day', Center for Public Health and Awareness (CPHA) organised its flagship event titled “Demystifying Insulin Myths” in diabetes management in the city on Thursday.
Prasanna Kumar, Director of Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Care, told presspersons that initiating insulin therapy early – as soon as the doctor decides that the person needs insulin – is efficient in improving quality of life among patients with diabetes.
Listing out some common insulin myths, Dr. Kumar said, “Some people believe that Insulin is the last resort for diabetes management and that if one is prescribed insulin for diabetes they will have a poorer outcome than those who don’t. Some also believe that once on insulin always on insulin. But these are just misconceptions that people should not believe,” he said.
Insulin has no side effects and a doctor prescribes insulin therapy only when the person’s diabetes cannot be controlled by tablets, he said.
“When compared to the Western world, the average onset age for diabetes has dropped by at least a decade among Indian owing to high stress levels and sedentary lifestyles. I am now seeing an escalating number of relatively young diabetic patients in Bengaluru who can greatly benefit from insulin therapy in the long run,” the doctor said adding that early treatment with insulin is efficient in improving quality of life among patients with diabetes.
Satish Babu K.N., head of the department of Endocrinology at BGS Global Hospital said it was time people drop the psychological barriers on insulin usage.
The goals of diabetes management go beyond achieving sugar level control, preventing long-term complications that involve functioning of vital organs such as heart, kidney, eyes and blood vessels. “Despite the obvious benefit of protecting functions of vital organs of diabetic patients, insulin treatment is often under-utilised in India,” the doctor said.
