Zimbabwe Diabetes Association

18/11/2025

🌍 November: Diabetes Awareness Month
Here are 5 powerful takeaways from our Ambassador's International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes - ISPAD 2025 experience — lessons our Zimbabwean community can use right now to push for better care, better access, and better futures:

1️⃣ Early detection saves lives.
Catching type 1 diabetes early — especially around ages 2, 5–7, and early adolescence — prevents DKA and reduces emergencies. Linking simple screening to routine child and school health visits can transform outcomes for our children.

2️⃣ Technology isn’t a luxury — it’s life-changing.
CGMs and automated insulin systems dramatically improve control, safety, and quality of life. Even in settings like ours, targeted advocacy, pilot programs, and partnerships can open doors. We must keep fighting for access, affordability, and policy change.

3️⃣ Diabetes education + emotional support are real treatment.
From peer groups to WhatsApp counselling, small and consistent support can boost confidence, adherence, and mental wellbeing. Training community health workers and teachers creates a stronger safety net for families.

4️⃣ Not all diabetes is the same — precision matters.
Some children diagnosed as “type 1” actually have monogenic or syndromic diabetes. When there are unusual signs — early onset, developmental issues, anemia — ask about specialised testing. Correct diagnosis can completely change treatment and outcomes.

5️⃣ Real progress comes from community power.
ISPAD showed that the biggest advances happen when patients, clinicians, and policymakers work together. In Zimbabwe, we need coalitions, data, storytelling, and unwavering advocacy to push for universal access and equity.

✨ Let’s use this month not only to raise awareness — but to raise ambition.

Tinotenda Dzikiti's full report [https://www.thediabeticmogul.co.zw/2025/11/the-revolution-will-be-equitable-what.html], for anyone who wants to go deeper and join the movement.

diabetes health insulin healthcare diabetes management standards of care

05/11/2025

💙 Day 5 – Women, Men & Diabetes: Key Differences and Insights
(From my conference reflections — read full piece on my blog 🔗)

👩🏽‍⚕️ 1. Diabetes Affects Everyone – But Not Equally
➡️ Type 1 diabetes hits both men and women.
➡️ Type 2 diabetes is more common in women when young and in men by midlife.
➡️ Over 200 million women worldwide live with diabetes — the 5th leading cause of death among women.

📉 2. Glycemic Control Challenges
➡️ Women with diabetes often struggle more to reach their blood sugar goals (HbA1c).
➡️ Women under 25 have worse glucose control than men their age.
➡️ They also face added challenges controlling cholesterol and blood pressure.

❤️ 3. Complications & Comorbidities
➡️ Women with T1D have more diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episodes.
➡️ Heart disease risk is 40–44% higher in women with diabetes.
➡️ Stroke risk is 27% higher and recurrence more common in women with T2D.
➡️ Kidney disease progresses faster in men, but protein loss (proteinuria) is higher in women with T2D.
➡️ Vision loss from retinopathy is more common in women with T1D.
➡️ Nerve pain (neuropathy) appears earlier in men but hurts women more.
➡️ Sexual and emotional health challenges are also more common in women with diabetes.

🧠 4. Mental Health & Emotional Distress
➡️ Depression, anxiety, and diabetes distress are all higher in women.
➡️ These emotional challenges affect daily self-care and blood sugar control.

🤰🏽 5. Diabetes & Pregnancy
➡️ Blood glucose targets are very tight in pregnancy — requiring close monitoring.
➡️ Real-time CGM helps expectant mothers maintain safer levels.
➡️ Pregnancy often increases stress, guilt, and anxiety — especially for women with T1D.
➡️ Mothers carry the heavier emotional and practical load in caring for children with diabetes.

🌸 6. Menstrual Cycle & Glucose Changes
➡️ Hormonal shifts during the cycle affect insulin needs — often higher in the luteal phase.
➡️ Some women experience premenstrual highs and menstrual lows.
➡️ Planning insulin dosing carefully helps manage these changes better.

📱 7. Technology to the Rescue
➡️ CGM, insulin pumps, and smart pens improve glucose control and pregnancy outcomes.
➡️ Mobile health tools can boost diabetes management for women.
➡️ Closed-loop systems help those with advanced diabetes or on dialysis maintain stable glucose.

⚖️ 8. Unique Burdens in Women with T2D
➡️ Women with previous gestational diabetes have up to a 60% risk of developing T2D later.
➡️ T2D erases women’s natural heart protection.
➡️ Social and economic factors make management even harder for women.

🩺 9. What Needs to Change
➡️ Screen for depression, eating disorders, and distress early.
➡️ More research focused on women’s health needs — pregnancy, menopause, and caregiving roles.
➡️ Move beyond “men vs. women” — women are not a single group.
➡️ Promote equal access to technology and support for all women with diabetes.

🌍 “Diabetes care must see women — not just as patients — but as people living layered lives, balancing health, family, and society.”

04/11/2025

💙 Day 4 of November — Diabetes Awareness Month!

Today we’re talking about how digital health technology is helping to prevent and treat diabetes. 📱💉

1️⃣ Health literacy matters!
People who understand health information well tend to manage their diabetes better. Those with low health literacy can still benefit — especially when social media and digital tools are designed in simple, inclusive ways.

2️⃣ Social media can support self-management.
Online diabetes communities and educational content (like this one 😉) help people learn, share, and feel supported in managing their condition.

3️⃣ Technology in pregnancy 🤰🏽
Real-time Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) helps expectant mothers living with diabetes maintain good glucose levels — and has been shown to improve baby outcomes.
Regular use of CGM gives a full picture of glucose control throughout pregnancy.

4️⃣ Digital therapeutics = high-tech care.
These are evidence-based software programs that help prevent, manage, or even treat conditions like diabetes — combining science and technology for better outcomes.

5️⃣ But barriers still exist.
To make diabetes tech work for everyone, we need fair coverage, equal access, and awareness. Policies, healthcare systems, and communities all play a role in ensuring that no one is left behind. 🌍💙

💬 Technology is powerful — but only when everyone can access and understand it.

If you’d like to dive deeper into my conference key take-aways, check out the article I wrote back in 2021:
👉

diabetes health insulin healthcare diabetes management standards of care

03/11/2025

💙 Hey everyone!
It’s November — Diabetes Awareness Month!
I missed sharing on Day 1-2, but here we go 😄
7 Facts You Might Not Know About Type 1 Diabetes 👇🏽

1️⃣ Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) isn’t caused by sugar or lifestyle.
It’s an autoimmune condition — the body attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas by mistake.

2️⃣ It can happen at any age!
Yes, even adults can be diagnosed — not just children.

3️⃣ Insulin isn’t a choice, it’s life.
People with T1D need daily insulin through injections or pumps because their bodies stop making it naturally.

4️⃣ Glucose checks never stop.
Many use sensors or finger pricks to monitor their glucose levels — it helps prevent dangerous highs and lows.

5️⃣ Food isn’t the enemy.
We just count carbs and use math to match the right insulin dose for what we eat.

6️⃣ T1D doesn’t stop life.
We travel, play sports, study, and work — we just plan a bit more carefully. 💪🏽

7️⃣ The future is hopeful!
New tech like artificial pancreas systems and stem cell research are bringing us closer to better control — and maybe one day, a cure. 🙌🏽

Let’s keep learning and spreading awareness this month 💙

29/09/2025