ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider People advised to have their health properly checked in face of growing incidence of diabetes in Nor. Mindanao

People advised to have their health properly checked in face of growing incidence of diabetes in Nor. Mindanao

Published Jul 29, 2022 07:42 pm

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Due to the growing incidence of diabetes among the people, a health official here on Friday, July 29, has warned the public against several complications that might arise from having the said disease.

Dr. Tristan Jediah Labitad, head of the Non-Communicable Disease cluster of the Department of Health region 10 (Northern Mindanao), stressed that diabetes could have a complication to the micro vascular organs of the human body which lead to complications such as diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), diabetic retinopathy (damaging the back of the eye) and diabetic nephropathy (damage in kidney).

“ Worst case scenario sa (of) diabetic, kung dili nato makontrol or ma-prevent (if we can’t control or prevent it), leading to complications. Daghan og komplikasyon ang (There are many complications of) diabetes. Mao nang angay nato kabalak-an (That’s what we should be worried about),” Labitad said.

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

The most common is type 2 diabetes, usually in adults, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In Northern Mindanao, according to the data given by Labitad, the region has 1,405 reported cases of diabetes in the first quarter of 2022, based on the report using the DOH’s Field Health Services Information System (FHSIS).

Oroquieta has the highest reported cases of diabetes in the region based on the city level with 1.21 percent of the total population, and Lanao del Norte in the provincial level with 0.01 percent of the total population.

However, there are cases of diabetes in the region that are not yet included in the report. In fact, Labitad urged people with diabetes to visit their Rural Health Units (RHUs) in order for them to be included in the census.

The Diabetes Club

Apart from inclusion in the census, visiting the RHUs and health centers is also important as it would definitely provide proper management, counseling and medication to those people that have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Labitad said every RHUs has a “Diabetes Club” where healthcare workers provide free health services to those diabetic members.

“Naay mga pa-exercise didto (There are exercise activities), naay (there are) monitoring of your blood sugar, your BP , daghan mga (there are a lot of) initiatives ang atong mga (our) Rural Health Units sa mga miyembro sa (to the members of the) club,” he said.

The RHUs also provide extended services, especially to those who are not members of the program.

“Again, gi-encourage tamo nga bisita mo sa inyong (I encourage you to visit your) Rural Health Units para ma-enroll mo sa (so that you will be enrolled to our) Diabetes Club ug mahatagan mo og saktong atensyon batok sa inyong sakit nga (and you would be provided with the right attention against) Diabetes,” Labitad expressed.

The need for physical exercise

Aside from proper medication, Labitad also echoed the importance of physical exercise as one of the helpful activities to prevent diabetes.

He said 120 minutes of physical activity or equivalent to a three-day vigorous exercise for the whole week would be enough to burn some calories. Physical activity could also help people to lose weight.

“Usa sa mga (one of the) risk factors nga atong ginatan-aw sa mga (that we look for those) Diabetic kay kining mga (are those) obese and overweight,” Labitad explained.

Labitad urged people who might be experiencing the basic symptoms of diabetes to visit their health centers and have their health checked in order to have proper knowledge in preventing the disease.

Diabetes Awareness Week is observed every fourth week of July by virtue of Proclamation No. 213 signed on July 23, 1993, by former President Fidel Ramos.

Related Tags

health diabetes NORTHERN MINDANAO
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.