Speaker: Jason Baker, M.D. Date: March 8, 2021 Time: 5:00pm to 6:00pm Title: Diabetes in the Developing World Zoom info: https://weillcornell.zoom.us/j/92191714192Meeting ID: 921 9171 4192 Passcode: 096379 Summary: Focus on the similarities and differences between the methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diabetes in developed vs developing nations Suggested Readings: https://www.marjoriesfund.org/ https://ifl-usa.org/ https://idf.org/ Case Study: Marjorie was 3 years old when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Uganda, and just 29 years old when she died, having succumbed to diabetes-related kidney failure. Unlike so many people with type 1 diabetes in Uganda and other parts of the developing world, Marjorie was one of the lucky ones.
Marjorie had been provided with enough insulin and glucose testing supplies to allow her to survive. Yet, Uganda is starved for resources that would have allowed Marjorie to keep her blood sugar levels under good enough control to avoid diabetic complications. While she awaited a kidney transplant – a treatment she never received – Marjorie relied on weekly dialysis treatments to stay alive. More often than not, Marjorie could not afford such treatments, and faced a preventable slow and painful death.
Throughout this painful time, Marjorie continued her efforts to educate both patients and healthcare providers on how to better manage type 1 diabetes, in hopes of preventing others from suffering her fate. Speaking at various medical conferences, Marjorie recounted her story, and fought to change a system, which had limited her own care because of a lack of resources. Marjorie's passed away, but others need not. Sadly there are many more Marjorie's in the world, and much work is needed to improve global diabetes care to allow everyone a change to thrive with diabetes.
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