Medical Sunday will take place again on June 2, 2024
Magdeburg University Medicine, Urania e.V. Magdeburg and the Volksstimme newspaper cordially invite you to the next edition of Medical Sunday. This time, the focus will be on “Living with diabetes”. The renowned experts Prof. Dr. Peter Mertens, Director of the University Clinic for Kidney and Hypertension Diseases, Diabetology and Endocrinology Magdeburg, and his colleague Senior Physician Dr. Silke Klose will provide insights into the clinical picture, explain treatment approaches and present current diagnostic and therapeutic options.
The event starts at 10:30 a.m. in University Lecture Hall 1, Building 26 (near the university library) in Pfälzer Straße. Admission is free. All interested parties, relatives and patients are cordially invited. The lecture will provide a detailed insight into the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. In particular, the experts will address those aspects in which significant progress has been made.
Photo: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Mertens, Director of the University Clinic for Renal and Hypertensive Diseases, Diabetology and Endocrinology Magdeburg, and his colleague Senior Physician Dr. med. Silke Klose. © UMMD
Diabetes mellitus, also known as “diabetes”, is a metabolic disorder that leads to increased sugar levels, known as hyperglycemia. Insulin, a vital hormone that regulates carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, plays a crucial role in the development of diabetes. There are two types of this disease: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells.
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease that leads to an increase in blood sugar levels and often occurs in the second half of life. In recent years, the number of younger patients has increased significantly due to an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. There are different forms of type 2 diabetes, including those that can also occur at a normal weight.
Those affected by both types often suffer from secondary diseases of the blood vessels and nerves. In this context, the experts will explain which preventive examinations should be carried out in order to avoid consequential damage.
Normally, the fasting glucose level in the blood of people without diabetes is below 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/l) and usually does not rise above 140 to 160 mg/dl (7.8 to 8.9 mmol/l) after eating. Around 297,000 inhabitants of Saxony-Anhalt (13.5 percent) are affected by diabetes. Today, there are numerous effective treatment options for type 2 diabetes, whereby the focus should be on a healthy diet with an emphasis on vegetables, lean meat and whole grain products. Type 2 diabetes can be reversible by losing weight, but there is a renewed risk if weight is gained.
In recent years, new blood glucose-lowering agents have come onto the market for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, including so-called “SGLT2 inhibitors” and incretin mimetics. Prof. Mertens and senior physician Dr. Silke Klose will report on the use and benefits of these drugs as well as on new technical developments in the field of continuous tissue glucose monitoring and automated insulin pump treatment for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
Medical Sunday is an initiative for all interested parties and was made possible by a cooperation between Urania Magdeburg e.V., Volksstimme and Magdeburg University Medicine. In addition to insights into medical topics, the event also offers the opportunity to speak directly with the experts and clarify individual questions.