GNWT begins new diabetes screening process
Guidelines aim to catch disease earlier
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 13, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The NWT is the first jurisdiction in Canada to test new Type 2 diabetes screening guidelines that will see high-risk patients tested for the disease more often and at a younger age.
Dr. Amy Hendricks, right, speaks about new guidelines the territory has implemented for Type 2 diabetes screening as Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola listens in the background. Hendricks is a physician specializing in internal medicine at Stanton Territorial Hospital. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Healthcare workers across the territory are now following new guidelines that aim to diagnose the disease earlier, Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola and Dr. Amy Hendricks, a physician specializing in internal medicine at Stanton Territorial Hospital, announced at a news conference in Yellowknife Oct. 7.
The guidelines set out when and how often people at various levels of risk for developing diabetes should be screened.
Kandola said the screening will likely uncover people who were previously undiagnosed.
On average, there are about 200 new cases of diabetes each year in the territory.
Diabetes is a "major public health issue" in the NWT and the measures should help identify those with the disease early, potentially avoiding serious and costly complications, she said.
"By screening populations when they have no symptoms, we will be able to detect pre-diabetes or diabetes at a stage when there are minimal complications and when making changes can have a greater impact," Kandola said.
Pre-diabetes is a diagnosis describing when some, though not all, of the diabetes diagnosis criteria are met.
While diabetes is relatively inexpensive to treat, the complications that can arise have substantial costs for the health system. If left untreated or improperly managed, serious complications from diabetes can arise including heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease, impotence and nerve damage.
According to data collected in the NWT, the prevalence of diabetes starts to increase between age 30 and 35, so that was the age group targeted for screening. National guidelines recommend screening begin at 40.
Those deemed to be at low risk for diabetes will be screened every three years starting at age 40. Those at moderate risk every two years at age 30 and those at high risk every year at age 30.
The local guidelines were developed in consultation with the Canadian Diabetes Association based on its guidelines and adapted specifically for the territory.
The 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey found NWT residents were statistically more likely to be at risk of developing diabetes because of factors including low fruit and vegetable consumption and little physical activity. Despite that, the prevalence of the disease is not much different than the rest of Canada, said Kandola. The overall prevalence is increasing in Canada and the territory. Territory wide, the prevalence of diabetes has increased to 4.4 per cent of the population in March 2009 from 2.9 per cent of the population in April 2002.
There are three types of diabetes physicians currently identify. Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin and usually is diagnosed in children. It represents about 10 per cent of people with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or when the body doesn't effectively use insulin produced. It usually develops in adults and represents the remaining 90 per cent of cases.
A third type, gestational diabetes, occurs during pregnancy and is temporary.
The health department has been working on the the guidelines since January while working on other screening initiatives.
The work leading up to these new guidelines included top researchers with the Canadian Diabetes Association said Hendricks.
It's something health officials in other jurisdictions have taken note of, the two doctors said, though emphasized the screening guidelines have to be adjusted based on local health data.
