The World Health Organization's fact sheet on diabetes provides an overview of the disease, highlighting its increasing prevalence, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It outlines the main types of diabetes—Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes—detailing their characteristics an...d risk factors. The document emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and management to prevent complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, and vision loss. Preventive measures include maintaining a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and avoiding tobacco use. The fact sheet also discusses WHO's initiatives aimed at monitoring, preventing, and controlling diabetes globally.
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Le nombre de personnes atteintes de diabète est passé de 108 millions en 1980 à 422 millions en 2014
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common e...ffect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
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Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common e...ffect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most serious risks factors for death from heart diseases and strokes, responsible for 13% of all deaths globally. In South Africa more than 1 in 3 adults live with high blood pressure and it is responsible for 1 in every 2 strokes and 2 in every 5 ...heart attacks. High blood pressure is known as a 'silent killer' because there are rarely any symptoms or visible signs to warn that blood pressure is high. That is why more than 50% of people with high blood pressure are unaware of their condition. In some cases, typically with very high blood pressure, symptoms such as headaches, visual disturbances, nose bleeds, nausea, vomiting, facial flushing and sleepiness may be experienced. Do not wait for symptoms to appear. High blood pressure becomes more likely with older age, but anyone, no matter their age, gender, fitness level or lifestyle can develop high blood pressure. Blood pressure should be measured at least once every year, so don’t delay!
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Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) with its manifestations of coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke, as well as aortic and peripheral artery diseases. In addition, diabetes is a major risk factor f...or developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which in itself is associated with developing CVD. The combination of diabetes with these cardio-renal comorbidities enhances the risk not only for cardiovascular (CV) events but also for CV and all-cause mortality. The current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes are designed to guide prevention and management of the manifestations of CVD in patients with diabetes based on data published until end of January 2023. Over the last decade, the results of various large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) in patients with diabetes at high CV risk with novel glucose- lowering agents, such as sodium–glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs), but also novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), such as finerenone have substantially expanded available therapeutic op-
tions, leading to numerous evidence-based recommendations for the management of this patient population.
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Study cardiovascular principles for understanding heart health. Learn about cardiovascular diseases, treatments, and prevention strategies.
The Coursera page titled "Best Cardiovascular Courses Online with Certificates [2024]" offers a curated selection of online courses focused on cardiovascular h...ealth. These courses cover topics such as cardiovascular diseases, treatments, and prevention strategies. Learners can filter courses by subject, language, level, duration, and skills to find options that best suit their needs. The platform provides courses from various universities and institutions, allowing individuals to enroll for free, earn certificates, and build job-ready skills at their own pace.
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The World Health Organization's fact sheet on hypertension provides a comprehensive overview of high blood pressure, highlighting its prevalence, risk factors, and health implications. It emphasizes that hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide, with an estimated 1.28 billion adult...s aged 30–79 years affected, two-thirds of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.
The document outlines modifiable risk factors, including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use, and being overweight or obese. It also discusses non-modifiable risk factors such as family history, age over 65 years, and co-existing conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. The fact sheet underscores the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring, as hypertension often presents without symptoms, and highlights lifestyle changes and medications as effective treatments. Additionally, it mentions global targets aimed at reducing the prevalence of hypertension by 33% between 2010 and 2030.
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The video titled "Personalizing Selection of Inhaled Delivery Systems in COPD" discusses the complexities healthcare professionals face when prescribing inhaled therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It highlights the diverse range of available medications and delivery systems, ...noting that while medication categorization has been extensively studied, guidance on selecting appropriate inhaler devices remains limited and lacks consensus in COPD guidelines. The video proposes a novel strategy to address this issue, aiming to enhance the personalization of inhaled therapy for COPD patients.
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The CDC webpage "Types of Insulin" provides an overview of the various insulin types used in diabetes management, categorized by their onset, peak time, and duration of action. It explains terms like onset (how quickly insulin lowers blood sugar), peak time (when insulin is at maximum strength), and... duration (how long insulin works to lower blood sugar). The page also discusses factors influencing insulin prescriptions, such as activity level, diet, blood sugar management, age, and individual insulin absorption rates.
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The document provides the NICE Quality Standard for managing Type 2 diabetes in adults (QS209). It outlines evidence-based recommendations for preventing Type 2 diabetes, structured education, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), medication such as SGLT2 inhibitors, and regular care processes to mon...itor complications. The guidelines emphasize individualized care, addressing health inequalities, and improving patient outcomes. They are intended to support healthcare professionals and services in delivering high-quality, equitable diabetes care.
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The document provides quality standards for managing Type 1 diabetes in adults, emphasizing areas like structured education, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), cardiovascular risk management, and diabetic foot assessment. It aims to improve care processes, reduce complications, and enhance patient... outcomes through evidence-based and patient-centered approaches. The guidelines also focus on supporting inpatient self-management and ensuring equality and accessibility in diabetes care.
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Air pollution is the top environmental threat to health in Europe. It leads to hundreds of thousands premature deaths per year and billions of Euros in health costs.
Air pollution is one of the leading causes of health complications and mortality worldwide, especially affecting lower-income groups, who tend to be more exposed and vulnerable. This study documents the relationship between ambient air pollution exposure and poverty in 211 countries and territories.... Using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 revised fine particulate matter (PM2.5) thresholds, we show that globally, 7.3 billion people are directly exposed to unsafe average annual PM2.5 concentrations, 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, 716 million of the world’s lowest income people (living on less than $1.90 per day) live in areas with unsafe levels of air pollution, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Air pollution levels are particularly high in lower-middle-income countries, where economies tend to rely more heavily on polluting industries and technologies. These findings are based on high-resolution air pollution and population maps with global coverage, as well as subnational poverty estimates based on harmonized household surveys.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the significant health risks associated with household air pollution, primarily resulting from the use of inefficient and polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating, and lighting. In 2020, approximately 2.1 billion people—about one-third of... the global population—relied on open fires or inefficient stoves fueled by kerosene, biomass (such as wood, animal dung, and crop waste), and coal. This exposure led to an estimated 3.2 million deaths, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of five. The pollutants emitted from these sources contribute to a range of health issues, including respiratory infections, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. The WHO emphasizes the urgent need for transitioning to cleaner fuels and technologies to mitigate these health risks.
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Background: The impacts of air pollutants on health range from short-term health impairments to hospital admissions
and deaths. Climate change is leading to an increase in air pollution.
Alcohol consumption is deeply embedded in the social landscape of many societies. Several major factors have an impact on levels and patterns of alcohol consumption in populations – such as historical trends in alcohol consumption, the availability of alcohol, culture, economic status and trends i...n the marketing of alcoholic beverages, as well as implemented alcohol control measures. At the individual level, the patterns and levels of alcohol consumption are determined by many different factors, including gender, age and individual biological and socioeconomic vulnerability factors, as well as the policy environment. Prevailing social norms that support drinking behaviour and mixed messages about the harms and benefits of drinking encourage alcohol consumption delay appropriate health-seeking behaviour and weaken community action
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This short brief describes the main findings and the key lessons learned from the research project "Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states", funded by the United States National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism fo...r the period 2000–2025. The WHO-backed project aims to assess the effects of alcohol control policies implemented in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and to investigate the impact they have had on both people's health and the countries' economies, based on concrete actions taken. The key findings of the project demonstrate that alcohol control policies such as taxation and availability measures decrease all-cause mortality and reduce inequalities, and that dismantling alcohol control policies has the opposite effect on population health. They also highlight that consumption of unrecorded alcohol will not necessarily go up if taxation is increased and that specific countermeasures can be taken to prevent an increase in unrecorded consumption.
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The World Health Organization's fact sheet on opioid overdose highlights the significant global health issue posed by opioids, which include natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic compounds used primarily for pain management. Misuse and unsupervised use can lead to dependence and severe health probl...ems. In 2019, approximately 600,000 deaths were attributed to drug use, with nearly 80% related to opioids; about 25% of these were due to overdose. An opioid overdose is characterized by pinpoint pupils, unconsciousness, and breathing difficulties. The fact sheet emphasizes the importance of increasing access to naloxone, an opioid antagonist that can rapidly reverse overdose effects, and advocates for training individuals likely to witness an overdose in its administration. It also underscores the need for comprehensive strategies, including preventive measures, treatment for opioid dependence, and policies to reduce opioid availability.
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One in three people globally suffers from at least one form of malnutrition, leading to poor health outcomes and low productivity in the workplace. The workplace offers an important, relatively unexploited opportunity to address malnutrition in all its forms. This narrative literature review aims to... understand the impact of workforce nutrition programmes on nutrition, health, and business outcomes, based on high-strength-of-evidence studies. We used PubMed as our primary research database, complemented by Google Scholar, to identify systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomised controlled trials published between January 2010 and October 2021. In total, 26 records were included. We found that comprehensive workforce nutrition programmes, including a variety of intervention areas, and/or programmes targeting high-risk categories of workers (overweight/obese or (pre-)diabetic) were more likely to be effective on nutrition, health, and business outcomes. Within comprehensive and targeted programmes, individualised counselling and worksite environmental modifications were often mentioned as the most effective components. However, a high degree of heterogeneity in outcome measures and programme designs made it difficult to draw strong conclusions on the impact of workforce nutrition interventions. Limited evidence was found on business outcomes, longer-term effects of interventions, and programme implementation in LMICs. Therefore, further research is needed to address these evidence gaps.
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