Q. Goals of prevention of diabetes mellitus?
The goals of prevention are to delay the onset of DM and preventing or delaying the cardiovascular complications. Obesity should be taken care of. Therefore, exercise, weight loss, and oral drugs are needed. It has been found that lifestyle modification hinders pre-diabetes to develop into Type 2 DM.
Primary prevention refers to the prevention of diabetes in those who are susceptible to diabetes. Early detection is the key to prevent and control diabetes. As diabetes is largely asymptomatic, regular screening for diabetes is most important. It is necessary to conduct large scale screening for diabetes and "pre-diabetes" and implement a primary preventive programme in the community.