Hello,
I listened to the Guardian interview with Dr Patel and found it very disappointing. He was being so careful with what he said that he ended up talking nonsense, the view that type 1 diabetics are younger is the main case in point.
Yes I was young when I was diagnosed with type 1, at the time the specialist said you are a young diabetic and may think you don't need to worry too much, but in his experience young diabetics tended to become old diabetics (hopefully). And so it has come to pass. So that leaves Dr Patel's pronouncement rather hanging in the air. Not all type 1 diabetics are young, unless he's telling me that type 1 is the key to eternal youth.
What I wanted to hear from him is are well controlled, older diabetics at higher risk? The answer seems to be to me that what makes it more dangerous for us, and more of a problem for hospital staff, is the fact that out blood glucose is certain to go out of control with great potential for us to go into a diabetic coma, however badly or otherwise we react to the virus. It amazed me that he didn't make this point, I think it is beyond dispute and I have often been told by Specialists, such as him, that illness is likely to raise my blood glucose. I wouldn't recommend anybody to listen to that interview as it adds nothing of value.
I listened to the Guardian interview with Dr Patel and found it very disappointing. He was being so careful with what he said that he ended up talking nonsense, the view that type 1 diabetics are younger is the main case in point.
Yes I was young when I was diagnosed with type 1, at the time the specialist said you are a young diabetic and may think you don't need to worry too much, but in his experience young diabetics tended to become old diabetics (hopefully). And so it has come to pass. So that leaves Dr Patel's pronouncement rather hanging in the air. Not all type 1 diabetics are young, unless he's telling me that type 1 is the key to eternal youth.
What I wanted to hear from him is are well controlled, older diabetics at higher risk? The answer seems to be to me that what makes it more dangerous for us, and more of a problem for hospital staff, is the fact that out blood glucose is certain to go out of control with great potential for us to go into a diabetic coma, however badly or otherwise we react to the virus. It amazed me that he didn't make this point, I think it is beyond dispute and I have often been told by Specialists, such as him, that illness is likely to raise my blood glucose. I wouldn't recommend anybody to listen to that interview as it adds nothing of value.
