Thread: health concerns in grenada

what kind of health concerns would someone have, if they're planning on going to the island. there's another post about about a botched PPD test, which got me thinking, what kind of infections would one be worried about in grenada?

TB is very common? anything else we should know about?

you can develop type 2 diabetes mellitus JUST from being on the island for 2 years??? do they hand out sugar packets during lecture or something?

or do you mean you see a lot of the locals developing it?

Originally Posted by nquery

you can develop type 2 diabetes mellitus JUST from being on the island for 2 years??? do they hand out sugar packets during lecture or something?

or do you mean you see a lot of the locals developing it?

Pause for a second and think about it.

Which do you think it is?

My two freinds got Dengue during the rainy season. I know a few people who got the flu. A few diarrhea. That is about it!

Originally Posted by Saora1

Caribbean people like sugar. Well, actually I should qualify that and say that Caribbean Black people like it. And now that I think of it, many of the Black N. Americans that I know do as well.

But who doesn't like sugar??

***

But yeah, diabetes mellitus (you're in med school now, you need to differentiate ) is very, very common in this region. That and high BP. You'll see a lot of problem related to DM in the country, your simulated patients in CS and in the hospital when you go to visit.

If you go anywhere and ask for juice or get a smoothie at the mall, you will probably get a MASSIVE insulin spike after a couple sips. heheheh

I'm no medical student yet, but I thought lots of sugar was good at causing pancreatic cancer due to enlargening of the pancreas from chronic insulin spikes. Eating sugar just gets stored as carbohydrates and technically eating lots of bread would have the same effect... Type 2 is usually from being overwieght and carbohydrates can due that. So, its not usually the insulin spikes that cause diabetes type 2 but your excessive body fat. I guess sugar can be an "indirect" way of getting type 2. And for those with type 1, it is a genetic problem you usually express in your childhood.

Originally Posted by Saora1

I took it for granted that the OP would understand this but I may have been mistaken to do so.

So yeah, we get PPDs because the school/hospitals require it. I got my first PPD before starting and the only reason I got another is because my entire class (and every subsequent one) had to get a PPD and physical exam within 6 months of starting clinicals.



There's that, but not that many people got the flu that I know of.



Whether it's few and far between, it is something endemic to this country and is perhaps the most likely infectious disease for someone to carry; especially during the rainy season when the mosquitoes are out in force (when aren't those little poops out in force though?).

This part isn't quite true...it isn't endemic to the country at all. Dengue can be acquired in many countries of the world. The strain that is found here may be different, which actually makes it a bit more risky if you've had it before. Bottom line is you really need to be careful with the mosquitos...

Originally Posted by Coconut

This part isn't quite true...it isn't endemic to the country at all. Dengue can be acquired in many countries of the world. The strain that is found here may be different, which actually makes it a bit more risky if you've had it before. Bottom line is you really need to be careful with the mosquitos...

Whoops, I used endemic incorrectly. Didn't mean that dengue is unique to Grenada.

My bad. Thanks for pointing that out.

Originally Posted by spreebee

I'm no medical student yet, but I thought lots of sugar was good at causing pancreatic cancer due to enlargening of the pancreas from chronic insulin spikes.

Completely incorrect. There is no association between pancreatic cancer and consumption of sugar. Well, no known one anyway. In truth, the risk factors aren't clear but there is evidence that smoking can increase your chances of this type of cancer (like many other types of cancer).

However, you can get an islet cell tumor (not from sugar either) which will cause hyperinsulinism leading to hypoclycemia. Maybe you were thinking of that.

Eating sugar just gets stored as carbohydrates

You store glycogen and adipose (fat) not carbohydrates.

and technically eating lots of bread would have the same effect...

True, but different foods cause different insulin responses.

Type 2 is usually from being overwieght and carbohydrates can due that. So, its not usually the insulin spikes that cause diabetes type 2 but your excessive body fat. I guess sugar can be an "indirect" way of getting type 2. And for those with type 1, it is a genetic problem you usually express in your childhood.

The actual causes of Type 2 DM aren't really known either although it is obvious that lifestyle plays a role. So do genetics. If I remember correctly, there is a high concordance in identical twins.

One of the theories of Type 2 DM is that in individuals who are insulin resistant, they have inadequate glucose utilization which leads to hyperglycemia and beta cell exhaustion i.e. the cells of the pancreas producing insulin get worn out. Obesity can contribute to insulin resistance. I should clarify that I did not mean to imply that insulin spikes would cause diabetes mellitus but just made that statement to indicate how sweet things like juice are here. However, high levels of insulin and a regular basis can lead to it because lots of insulin means you're working those beta cells overtime.

Anyway, a web search or consulting a text book can tell you more than I ever could.

Originally Posted by Saora1

Completely incorrect. There is no association between pancreatic cancer and consumption of sugar. Well, no known one anyway. In truth, the risk factors aren't clear but there is evidence that smoking can increase your chances of this type of cancer (like many other types of cancer).

However, you can get an islet cell tumor (not from sugar either) which will cause hyperinsulinism leading to hypoclycemia. Maybe you were thinking of that.

You store glycogen and adipose (fat) not carbohydrates.

True, but different foods cause different insulin responses.

The actual causes of Type 2 DM aren't really known either although it is obvious that lifestyle plays a role. So do genetics. If I remember correctly, there is a high concordance in identical twins.

One of the theories of Type 2 DM is that in individuals who are insulin resistant, they have inadequate glucose utilization which leads to hyperglycemia and beta cell exhaustion i.e. the cells of the pancreas producing insulin get worn out. Obesity can contribute to insulin resistance. I should clarify that I did not mean to imply that insulin spikes would cause diabetes mellitus but just made that statement to indicate how sweet things like juice are here. However, high levels of insulin and a regular basis can lead to it because lots of insulin means you're working those beta cells overtime.

Anyway, a web search or consulting a text book can tell you more than I ever could.

Ok, let me explain the confusion. For the increased sugar intake and pancreatic cancer, there has only been a few studies done but here is one (recent studies):

Consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study (Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1171-6).

Very interesting. So, it is important to keep up on current research.

As for the sugar I was talking about I need to elaborate because it was kind of confusing the way I put it. Start with sucrose which is common in ones diet and is converted to glucose (common body carbohydrate). That's what I meant. Anyways, the glucose-6-phosphate is further stored as glycogen like you said... Just wanted to clear things up sorry my original statement was ill prepared.

Pic taken from Wikipedia

From being a speaker/volunteer for the Canadian Diabetes Assoc, the amount of sugar is not a direct cause of getting Type 2 Diabetes, body fat is a huge factor. Basically if you have a good diet, lots of greens..you should be fine. It is avoidable, even if its in your family. Genetics increases your chances thats all....

On a side note, since obesity is on the rise in NA, type 2 diabetes is being diagnosed earlier in children than ever before! Scary eh...

Type 1 is unavoidable(genetic).

Okay im sure ur like what the hell, i didnt need to know this...yea well its my thing, my cause...

Originally Posted by uvamic

Your biggest health concerns in Grenada are GI related, especially if you eat on campus. I know many people who got sick after eating wraps at Pearls (just think about the dressing sitting on the counter all day and all of the flies, not to mention you don't know what goes on in the back). I contracted a very serious case of food poisoning at Glover's, broke into a high fever and bloody diarrhea for a week, lost 10 pounds and got way behind in my studying. 4th term I ate at sugar shack every day and never had a problem. but maybe it's due to sensitization of my immune system, who knows.

I've consistently gotten sick every time I ate at Pearl's. The first two times, I noticed it and then I tested it the third time. It was Pearl's. Nasty...