Diabetes in time of armed conflict: the Croatian experience.
During the summer of 1991, armed conflict broke out in the Republic of Croatia. This resulted in many deaths and the displacement of many persons, with population loss in some communities and additional population burden in others. Registration of diabetic persons has been compulsory in Croatia since 1975 and from available statistics compiled by the Vuk Vrhovac Institute for Diabetes in Zagreb it was known that in 1991 there were 111,096 diabetic persons in Croatia, 16% requiring insulin, 46% treated with oral agents and 38% using dietary treatment only. This information helped to plan adequate supplies during the emergency. Contacts with international organizations and friends were of value in overcoming shortages, the most useful gifts being battery-operated blood glucose measuring devices. A study in Zagreb failed to demonstrate an association between the stress of displacement and metabolic control. Somewhat unexpectedly, diabetes and its complications did not present a major public health problem during the first 8 months of the armed conflict, but the long-term effects of these events remain to be seen.
Metelko
Z
Z
Institute for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Vuk Vrhovac, Zagreb, Croatia.
Roglić
G
G
Skrabalo
Z
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003710:Demography; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D014857:Warfare