How Is U.S Losing The Battle Against Diabetes After COVID-19 Pandemic?
COVID-19 is among those lethal calamities that hit the whole world two years back and is still on its way to the path of devastation. COVID -19 makes the life of people in the US with diabetes even worse. This can be because the coronavirus infection severely affects the entire body organs of humans, giving rise to various risk factors of diabetes. It has been more than a decade, the world's strongest nation is losing the battle against diabetes which gets worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though most people are on trajenta medication for controlling their diabetes yet COVID-19 turns the situation lethal.
More than 600,000 died in the US due to coronavirus infection but it had an especially chronic impact on people with diabetes. Doctors while diagnosing coronavirus patients find that most people already have some kind of chronic disease which makes the situation difficult to overcome. Research suggests that around 40% of people in the US who died out of coronavirus infection also had diabetes. Doctors mostly suggest insulin injections for type 1 diabetes and tradjenta oral pills for type 2 diabetes patients. Trajenta is a linagliptin tablet that along with a healthy diet and exercise help in reducing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
Deaths from diabetes in the US increase up to 17%. Young people belonging to the age group 25 to 44 years showed a sharp increase in mortality rate. Though there are advances in the treatment of diabetes like insulin injection and tablets like tradjenta, still we didn't get a hold on it. Besides various researches, diabetes can't be cured as a result of the number of diabetic patients is increasing day by day and the COVID-19 pandemic takes it to a next level in the US.
Although COVID-19 affects diabetes patients in the US to a greater extent, other factors like cardiovascular disease and hypertension also contribute to the situation. In the US, the deaths due to diabetes reached the highest number in the last 8 years. And when the COVID-19 pandemic strikes the world, the Americans with diabetes and poor health become more prone to coronavirus infection.
One of the causes behind this condition of Americans is their lifestyle. Various lifestyle factors like excessive alcohol intake, smoking, poor diet and lack of physical, not only make you more susceptible to diabetes but also lead to various chronic health diseases. This, in turn, makes you more prone to coronavirus infection which can give lethal results.
Most Americans develop diabetes in their childhood or young age. While some encounter diabetes with the increased age. Type 1 diabetes affects young people, whereas, type 2 diabetes is seen in adults. Though type 1 diabetes can be cured with the help of insulin injection, type 2 diabetes can be controlled with proper diet and exercise. Sometimes along with diet and exercise, doctors also prescribe tradjenta oral pill to get the desired results.
The majority of the new cases of diabetes in America in recent years have type 2 diabetes. This can be treated as a chronic form of diabetes that can be often linked to obesity, lack of exercise and heredity. When you have type 2 diabetes your body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it in the normal way. Diet and physical activity help in managing the situation very well but sometimes medication is required to get a hold on the situation. Doctors mainly recommend tradjenta oral tablets to ease the disease.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most people can't go for their regular check-ups and they can't even get medicines if they run out of supply. This restricts their diabetes treatment which turns out lethal sometimes. During pandemics, doctors also prioritise corona patients than others which further deteriorates the health of diabetes patients in the US.
Uncontrolled diabetes makes Americans more susceptible to COVID-19.
Treating Diabetes
Researchers suggest that if measures were taken in the US to prevent and manage diabetes, then the result after the COVID-19 pandemic won't be that lethal.
For type 1 diabetes, insulin is the best possible treatment. Four types of insulin are mostly available based on how quickly they start working and how long their effect lasts. It includes:
Rapid-acting insulin- It starts working within 15 minutes after administration and lasts for about 3 to 4 hours.
Short-acting insulin- It starts to work within 30 minutes and remains active for about 6 to 8 hours.
Intermediate-acting insulin-It works in the next 1 to 2 hours after being given and lasts for about 12 to 18 hours.
Long-acting insulin -It starts working within a few hours after being injected which lasts for around 24 hours or more.
For treating type 2 diabetes, doctors prescribe tradjenta. Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, trajenta can be used to control blood sugar levels. Trajenta also helps in preventing the serious complications of diabetes like kidney damage and permanent blindness. Sometimes doctors give trajenta along with other diabetic medicines like metformin, depending upon your condition.