A Diabetes Patient education programme was conducted in Trivandrum( Jas Hotel, Thycaud) organised by P.Kesavadev Trust. The programme was meant for patient awareness on the intensive Diabetes management and the current 2004, American Diabetes Association protocol. In her inaugural speech, the famous film actress, Smt. Mallika Sukumaran said that complications of diabetes are so devastating that it makes life of elderly very miserable. If not taken care of properly, decades after its occurance, plenty of complications occur in the same patient, making treatment not only expensive but also ineffective. She stressed the importance of preventing all the complications of diabetes by the adaptation of new treatment and following healthy life styles. The diabetes patient education programme were delivered by diabetologist and geriatrician, Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, Opthalmologist Dr. Devin Prabhakar, physiotherapist Sreejith etc, etc.

Some useful points are listed below.

1. With the intensive control of blood sugar, blood pressure, lipids etc etc, it has become a reality to prevent Heart attacks, Strokes,Blindness, Impotence, Kidney disease and amputations which were once thought as inevitable consequences of chronic diabetes.

2. The revised normal fasting plasma glucose level is upto 100mg%. Previously it was 110mg%.

3. For prevention of complications the target Blood pressure to be acheived is below 120/80mmHg.

4. The normal Cholesterol value for diabetes patients have also changed. For prevention of Heart attacks and Strokes, drug treatment is advocated if Cholesterol is above 135mg% so as to bring down basal LDL Cholesterol levels by 30%.

5. Lasor therapy for the prevention of blindness will be succesfull only if the blood sugar and blood pressure control is aggressively undertaken after the procedure and is sustained.

6. Joint pains are common in Diabetes. Peri arthritis of the shoulder should be treated with blood sugar reduction and physiotherapy. Long term use of pain killers may be damaging. Diabetes has evolved as the number one killer in Kerala with its multitude of complications requiring life long expensive treatment. This education program is part of the public health awareness campaign by P. Kesavadev Trust so as to educate diabetes patients on how to prevent the complications and be disease free and independant during old age.