This year happens to be unique as Diwali and World Diabetes Day both happen to be on Nov 14 th During this festive season of Diwali, while everyone’s pleasing their desire for sweet dishes and other specific food delicacies satisfying their taste buds, people affected with diabetes have to be extra cautious when it comes to their sweet intake and other high caloric specific food intake. Sweets play a important role in almost every festival in India. During Diwali, people indulge in consuming and distribute delicious sweets or Dry fruits based mithai along with many Nankeens which have high caloric value. If diabetics have been taking care of their diet and are exercising on a daily basis, then it may be okay for them to indulge in this festive season.

The most important thing for a diabetic to do during Diwali time or any other festival season, in general, is to learn identify carbohydrates which they take and reducing its intake would work wonders. On the other hand, there are people who fast during Diwali might experience low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) and should be aware of how to handle if such a situation arises.

Diabetes mellitus if not controlled leads to an increase in glucose in the blood vessels as glucose is not effectively utilized by the body, which over a period of time leads to hyperglycemia, glucotoxicity and its complications related to Diabetes mellitus. Long term complications of hyperglycemia silently, affect major organs of our body, like kidneys, eyes, heart, blood vessels and nerves.

Very low levels of blood sugar would lead to symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, blurry vision, dizziness, headache, shaking (tremors), and sweating, which may even lead to convulsion or coma, It is a medical emergency and every diabetic and their family should be educated and made aware to recognize and treat as emergency. It’s always good to be aware and educated about our health and always better to prevent my making a smart choice to keep ourselves healthy.

World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in regards to growing concerns about the escalating threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. Every year, the World Diabetes Day campaign focuses on a dedicated theme that runs for one or more years. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 is The Nurse and Diabetes.

As the number of people living with diabetes continues to rise in the world the role of nurses and other health professional support staff is becoming increasingly important in managing the influence of this condition.’ Nurses are often the first and most of the times the only health professional a person interacts with and so the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital.

The nurses do play a key role in:

– Diagnosing diabetes early to ensure prompt treatment.

– Providing basic self-management training and psychological support for people with diabetes to help prevent complications.

– Educating about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes to help prevent the condition

There still remains a significant need for more education to train nurses around the world with the skills to support people living with diabetes and those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.