Open Forum. Albert Misseri: "Diabetes: Screening to Save Lives"

The Covid-19 health crisis has highlighted an alarming truth: the importance of public health. Diabetes (1), a silent enemy linked to excess blood sugar, is striking our society. One person falls victim to this disease every five seconds worldwide, and one French citizen every 17 minutes. A situation we can no longer ignore.

In France, one million people are unaware they have diabetes. This lack of awareness results in nearly 10,000 lower-limb amputations and 1,000 cases of blindness each year, not to mention the increased risk of cardiovascular disease or dialysis for kidney failure. It is unacceptable that so many lives are put at risk due to a lack of information and accessible screening.

For my part, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 18. For 60 years, we have respected each other like close twin brothers, which allows me to be healthy and live almost like everyone else! When I founded LIDER Diabetes (Lions International Diabetes Screening and Research) 17 years ago, my wish was to demystify this disease, to combat its denial and, above all, to save lives.

LIDER Diabetes organized the first screening day on Place Masséna in Nice in October 2008. An initiative of the Lions Club Nice Étoile of which I was the president. We screened 1947 adults, including 213 who tested outside the limits and were unaware of it. In 2024, LIDER Diabetes carried out its 16th free screening campaign at 374 testing sites in France. Our 17th campaign is currently underway (2).

Since 2008, more than 780,000 adults have benefited from awareness campaigns at LIDER stands. Nearly 40,000 have been alerted to their diabetes risk.

All of this would not have been possible without the volunteer work of many stakeholders: more than 10,000 Lions, our "LIDER Knights," encouraging the public to get tested, 3,000 nurses, and 1,000 doctors. With the support of renowned partners and our scientific committee chaired by Professor Nicolas Chevalier, head of the Endocrinology, Diabetology, and Reproduction Department at l'Archet Hospital in Nice.

No need to be fasting to be screened. All you need to do is spend a few minutes of your time analyzing your immediate risk of diabetes, through a painless sample with instant results, and your risk of diabetes in ten years, by completing a questionnaire, the FINDRISC. The sample consists of a finger prick to collect a drop of blood on a strip. This, then placed in a reader, will instantly determine if the blood sugar level is too high. If the person exceeds the limit, they will speak to a LIDER doctor who, based on the FINDRISC, will explain the disease and encourage them to consult their doctor, with an anonymous letter stating the day, location of the screening and the blood sugar level recorded (reply card with a T envelope to be returned by the doctor to LIDER Diabetes after consultation). The latter will prescribe a laboratory analysis which, alone, will confirm or not the result of the sample. If diabetes is confirmed, the doctor will then prescribe treatment.

We signed a partnership agreement with the Alpes-Maritimes CPAM in 2019 and more recently with the Haute-Garonne CPAM, to offer follow-up to people tested outside the limits, if they wish.

Yes, we must act now and quickly to address the primary scourge of the 21st century. It is vital to step up our efforts because, as a diabetic, the sooner we learn about it, the sooner we get treatment, the better and longer our lives will be! Together, let's push back diabetes and help those who suffer from it.

1. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes: an autoimmune disease that often begins in adolescence. Type 2 diabetes (the most common) affects increasingly younger adults. It is caused by excess weight and junk food, lack of physical activity, stress and heredity. 2. In May, screening will take place in the Alpes-Maritimes, on the 10th at Place Garibaldi in Nice and on the 24th at Place Masséna as well as at Carrefour Lingostière; in the Var, on the 6th in Lorgues (town hall square), on the 17th in Sanary (bandstand) and Brignoles (Leclerc Center), on the 25th in Bandol (health village) and on the 31st in Ollioules (city center). To find out about other screening sites: www.liderdiabete.org

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