Generalities about Natural Disasters and Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the possibility of any natural disaster, people with diabetes mellitus need to prepare in advance as they are more susceptible to various complications.

Objective: To describe how natural disasters affect the health of people with diabetes mellitus and how to reduce such consequences.

Methods: A relevant literature search on the subject was carried out in the first two months of 2020. Pubmed and Google Scholar were used as search engines for scientific information. The search strategy included the following terms as keywords: diabetes mellitus, desastres naturales [natural disasters], medio ambiente [environment] and gestión del riesgo [risk management]. As eligibility criteria, review articles, research articles, and web pages were assessed, as far as they had been published within less than ten years, in Spanish, Portuguese and English, and with specific reference, within the title, to the topic of interest. Articles that did not meet these conditions were excluded. This allowed the study of forty articles, of which 28 were referenced.

Conclusions: People with diabetes mellitus are more vulnerable in case of natural disasters, while limited access to medical care and medications represents a serious challenge to maintain glycemic control. Patients and the community must adopt the prevention measures suggested by the family doctor and nurse, as well as by the Civil Defense. The lack of pre-existing emergency protocols makes it difficult to overcome the barriers imposed by any natural disaster.