SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, supports the call of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for early screening for detection and management of diabetes and hypertension as an important part of preventing kidney disease.
CPS would like to commend the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) for their public awareness campaign about kidney disease.
According to CARPHA, in 2019 kidney diseases were the fifth leading cause of death in the Non-Latin Caribbean region, adding that the three leading risk factors for kidney disease globally are being overweight/obese, hypertension and diabetes.
Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, stated that kidney diseases have remained a significant concern for the Region and shared some alarming data on the impact of this chronic health challenge.
“When reviewing 2019 data for countries in the region of the Americas, with the highest death rate due to kidney disease, two CARPHA Member States ranked in the top 10 of this list and nine Member States ranked in the top 20”.
Coupled to the high regional prevalence of the three main risk factors for kidney diseases, that is, overweight/obesity (53.2 %), hypertension (23%) and diabetes (11.9%), it signals an urgent need for focused and effective interventions to reduce this burden in the Caribbean.”
Detecting kidney disease early is essential for preventing complications and improving quality of life in the Region.
Tests that can be helpful in early detection include monitoring blood pressure, BMI (as a marker of weight), HbA1c (as a marker of blood glucose control) and other specific blood and urine tests that assess kidney function.
Based on national surveys that have been conducted over the past several years, CPS has observed the growing trend with diabetes in the country.
CPS points out that the Diabetes Foundation St. Maarten (DFS) carries out free public information/testing sessions outside the various supermarkets.
CPS continues to partner annually with the DFS to educate and promote the community about the importance of their numbers- namely, glucose, blood pressure and BMI (Body, Mass, Index).
CPS calls on residents to make use of these DFS sessions besides checking with their family physician for potential risk factors.
CARPHA launched the Diabetes Guidelines and the Nutritional Management Toolkit for the Caribbean in the fight against diabetes, as well as a Regional Framework for the Reduction of Sodium in Caribbean populations (CESA), to target the high prevalence of hypertension.
Initiatives such as the Caribbean Moves Framework also seek to tackle these and other risk factors such as obesity/overweight.
CPS calls on residents to check out the following link: https://www.carpha.org/What-We-Do/NCD/Integrated-Disease-Management/Diabetes-Nutritional-Management-Toolkit where you will find clinical guidelines presented in five+ modules.
As part of the department’s research agenda, CPS participated in a research study with Aruba to better understand the food preparation practices locally and advocated for salt reduction. The department led a health campaign “less salt, more health” which focused on alternatives to salt.
CPS continues to profile and provide awareness throughout the year via its Health Observances Calendar (HOC) the aforementioned public health issues which complements CARPHAs programs and toolkit.
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