BritaBrita.com, Palembang – As a public health service, Palembang City Ar Rasyid Islamic Hospital continues to provide health information and services to the public. One of them is consulting the executives of Sukarami Health Center in 2022.
RSI Ar Rasyid became one of the advisory speakers. The material presented concerned the information on Diabetes Mellitus in the Elderly and Pre-Elderly provided by dr. Putri Ayu Helni Lestari on Wednesday (21/12/2022).
“We’re here to educate executives about what diabetes is, what to recognize, how to treat wounds in diabetic patients, complications and prevention of diabetes in pre-elderly and older patients,” said Dr. Putri when met in the work room of RSI Ar Rasyid.
Diabetes mellitus is hyperglycemia in which blood sugar levels exceed the normal limit, which is above 126 mg/dl if a person is fasting. However, if the patient is not fasting or what is commonly called blood sugar when it exceeds 200 mg/dl.
Pre-elderly age is the age from over 45 to 59, while seniors are over 60.
For the classic symptoms of diabetes mellitus, a person will be thirsty easily, urinate frequently, feel hungry easily, and lose weight. Other complaints such as weakness, tingling, itching and blurred vision.
However, there are some patients who do not have classic symptoms, so individuals without classic symptoms should be screened.
For example, patients over the age of 45 or patients who are overweight or obese should re-investigate risk factors for diabetes mellitus such as lack of physical activity, heredity, certain racial/ethnic groups, women having a history of donations birth of children with BBL > 4 kg or with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertension (BP < 35 mg/dl dan atau trigliserida > 250 mg/dl, female with polycystic ovary syndrome, history of prediabetes, severe obesity, acanthosis nigricans, history of cardiovascular disease and age 45 years without risk factors.
Putri said the counseling was more about prevention education, both primary and secondary and more advanced. In primary prevention, we prevent you from contracting the disease, starting with improving your diet, a healthy lifestyle and sufficient physical activity.
Dietary patterns should also require coordination with the health center or hospital to provide balanced nutrition. Medical nutritional therapy includes the rule of providing carbohydrates (45-60% of total energy and high in fiber), proteins (such as fish, shrimp, squid, lean meat, skinless chicken, low-fat dairy products , tempeh, tofu and nuts) and fat (20-25% of total energy, limit saturated and trans fats such as fatty meats and whole milk).
Next, on physical preparation, Dr. Putri suggests brisk walking, jogging, swimming or leisurely cycling and can be done 3-5 days a week with a duration of 30-45 minutes with a break of two consecutive days.
“Diabetes can generally occur at any age. It’s just that the average detection rate is often pre-late for older adults due to the infrequent occurrence of symptoms. Usually pre- or older people have complications,” she said.
As chronic complications of macroangiopathy and microangiopathy. If it affects the brain it can cause a stroke, if it affects the heart it can cause a heart attack (coronary artery disease), if it affects the eye it can cause retinopathy or if it affects the kidneys it can cause nephropathy.
Primary prevention that can be modified is excess body weight, lack of physical activity, hypertension, smoking, poor nutrition, dyslipidemia. Secondary prevention such as controlling blood sugar levels and controlling risk factors for complications.
While tertiary prevention, preventing further disabilities and seeking to improve quality of life.
According to Dr Putri, cadres are the frontline of the community before they go to puskesmas, with education for these cadres hopefully the cadres will start to be able to check patients first.
“For example, finding a patient with risk factors for obesity means that blood sugar control is mandatory. If your blood sugar exceeds these limits, you may be referred to the health center or hospital for further tests. And if you see patients over the age of 45, they need to get their blood sugar under control because they are still at risk,” she said.
Journalist: Trijumartini
