Managing “fatigue”
We use fatigue to refer to the combination of physical and mental symptoms that are the most debilitating and least often treated when dealing with cancer. The number of patients that complain about fatigue often rises during the course of chemotherapy and other parallel treatments.
People who suffer from fatigue experience a lack of energy and find it difficult to perform even the simplest daily activities.
Therapeutic education for cancer patients that focuses on fatigue management has proven beneficial in reducing the intensity of fatigue, thus creating less interference with daily activities and less hardship on relationships, and, most of all, in reducing the amount of anxiety linked to this symptom. Thus, this approach is, without a doubt, particularly beneficial for patients with advanced cancer.
Prevention
Purrello claims, “Our priority must be to fight sedentarism and improper eating habits in young people, but we must also screen those who are at risk for diabetes- young people who are overweight, sedentary or have a history of diabetes in the family, for example”.
According to EASD, even schools, the food industry (by reducing fat and sugar content) and governments should take action to prevent the disease. The EASD has suggested that measures such as a consumption tax to discourage young people from drinking sugary drinks be implemented. This is not a new idea. A similar provision was made by the Italian Society for Diabetology, which shows just how urgent the matter has become.
“Not only doctors should be in charge of prevention”, concludes Professor Purrello . “Prevention should start in the home, at school, through healthcare policies and should involve various sectors in society, such as the food industry”.
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