Sixteen-year-old Karl is seen for the first time in my optometry practice. He was referred to me for a fluctuating vision problem. During his examination, I saw signs suggesting he may have diabetes, which could have explained the fluctuating vision. This suspicion became a reality when his family doctor confirmed the diagnosis. Karl’s world was turned upside down.
As an optometrist, I invite you to dive into a reality that should concern us all.
Type 1, which is insulin-dependent and develops when the body cannot produce the insulin needed to metabolize the sugars we ingest and which feed our tissues
Type 2, which develops when insulin is produced, but in insufficient quantities. Sometimes the insulin that is produced is ineffective in doing its job.
Type 1 diabetes is usually associated with the development of the disease in childhood and adolescence. Type 2, the most common, usually develops later in life, often after age 50.
A counter-intuitive diagnosis, but not a rare one
From this definition, it would have been logical to conclude that Karl was affected by Type 1 diabetes, the course and treatment of which are well controlled by physicians. However, in his case, and after the required testing, his doctor identified Type 2 diabetes. This diagnosis is counter-intuitive and poses significant challenges. The speed of onset, the initial severity of the disease and the mechanisms of resistance, or of reduced insulin secretion, may be different in patients who develop the disease at a younger age than in adults.
In addition, treatment options, involving trial and error, become more complex due to the much longer duration of this type of disease when it starts at a young age. Both major and minor changes that affect the blood vessels in the Type 2 diabetic patient can have serious consequences that are difficult to predict since the course of treatment can continue for 40 to 60 years.
The fact that Karl developed Type 2 diabetes earlier, rather than later in life also puts him at a higher risk of developing eye complications. An article about this topic recently caught my attention. This study looked at the records of 1,362 people with diabetes living in Minnesota, so, in North America and then extrapolate to Canada. The data was compiled between 1970 and 2019, which also allows us to measure the evolution of the situation over the last decades.
The results are astonishing: young people with Type 2 diabetes (compared to Type 1 diabetics of the same age) are 88 times more likely to develop retinopathy (abnormal blood vessels and/or hemorrhages in the retina). In addition, the risk of this retinopathy becoming “proliferative,” and therefore threatening to vision, is increased 230 times. There is also a 49-fold increase in the risk of fluid accumulation in the retina (macular edema) and a 243-fold increase in the risk of developing a mature cataract at a young age. The latter requires surgery which is riskier in young people than in the case of age-related senile cataracts.
Vascular and metabolic complications of diabetes visible on the fundus (hemorrhages, exudates). (Langis Michaud), Fourni par l’auteur
What should we remember from this? That the major problems, which often require surgical interventions to save vision, occur much more rapidly in young Type 2 diabetics than in those affected by Type 1. These patients must therefore be followed more closely. Indeed, almost one in two Type 2 patients will develop some form of retinopathy within one to eight years of diagnosis. In comparison, one in three Type 1 diabetics will develop retinopathy between six and 10 years following diagnosis.
Significant repercussions
Already having increased significantly in the last 10 years, the prevalence (number of cases) of Type 2 diabetes in young people is predicted to quadruple by 2050. This prediction is most alarming for health professionals, but also for policymakers and managers of public health agencies. The lifetime cost of direct medical care for a single diabetic patient aged 25-44 years was US$125,000 in 2013. These costs have since increased and many more dollars need to be added to cover the period between 15 and 25 years, which is not taken into account. Indeed, if 20 per cent of the youth population develops diabetes by 2050, millions (perhaps billions?) of health-care dollars will have to be spent on their care by our governments.
The long-term quality of life of people with diabetes is also reduced. Another study, this time of young people with Type 1 diabetes, shows that their disease has a negative impact on their life. They have to devote a lot of time to their care (missing activities with their friends). And the burden of their disease on their relatives weighs heavily on their shoulders. The fear of hypoglycemia (lack of sugar that can lead to coma) or of developing serious complications of the disease also affects them. Achieving autonomy is more difficult for these adolescents, and their quality of life is proportional to the freedom they can or cannot exercise.
Eat well, exercise and visit your optometrist
Type 1 diabetes is difficult to prevent, mainly because we don’t know all the reasons why it occurs and to proactively screen for it. The situation is different for Type 2 diabetes, which is strongly associated with unhealthy lifestyle in young people. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and combating sedentary lifestyles, including limiting screen leisure time (to less than two hours per day), are good ways to avoid or delay the onset of diabetes in young people. Screen time is also associated with insulin resistance and obesity in young people. In other words, healthy lifestyles must be encouraged and especially shared within the family unit.
Healthy habits are good ways to avoid or delay the onset of diabetes in young people. (Shutterstock)
Since healthy lifestyle habits are an integral part of the treatment of the disease, it is not too late for Karl to enjoy a happier future. But it is important not to neglect regular follow-ups by his medical doctor and frequent visits to his family optometrist.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
