Ostrobothnia Diabetes Unit
The Ostrobothnia Diabetes Unit is responsible for the treatment of diabetics in the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia’s whole Joint Municipal Authority. Every social and health center employs a diabetes nurse who is responsible for basic follow-up and directs the patient to a doctor for annual health inspections and, if necessary, treatment-intensive visits. A more thorough check-up with laboratory tests should be carried out once a year, and the diabetic’s need for support and guidance should be assessed.
The treatment of type 1 and challenging type 2 diabetics is centralized to the Diabetes Unit’s Vaasa and Jakobstad offices or to Vaasa Central Hospital’s Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic.
Follow-up visits are arranged individually with regard to e.g. the duration of diabetes, type of treatment, age of the diabetic, and his or her other illnesses.
Depending on individual needs, the diabetic receives a blood glucose meter and test strips, a ketone meter and test strips, lancets, glucose sensors, and insulin pump materials in accordance with his or her individual assessment.
Diabetes refers to a group of metabolic energy disorders associated with a high blood sugar level. The cause of the increase in blood sugar is either a disturbance of insulin secretion, a decrease in the effect of insulin (insulin resistance) or both.
Diabetes is detected using a fasting glucose test, glucose tolerance test or an HbA1c test.
Before the fasting glucose test, you must fast (not eat) for 12 hours. In the glucose tolerance test, a blood sample is first taken, the so-called fasting blood sugar level, after which a liquid containing glucose is drunk, and after 2 hours the blood sugar level is measured again. HbA1c (so-called long-term blood sugar level) does not require fasting.
n Finland, about 500,000 people suffer from diabetes, of which 400,000 have type 2 diabetes and about 53,000 have type 1 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed in one in five mothers.
There are about 10,000 people with diabetes in the municipalities belonging to the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia.
The WHO classification for different types of diabetes:
- type-1 diabetes: due to insulin-producing β-cell destruction in the pancreas as a result of an autoimmune inflammation, leading to a total insulin deficiency.
- type-2 diabetes: a number of diseases in which either insulin function is impaired (insulin resistance) or insulin secretion is disturbed, or both.
- gestational diabetes: due to an increased need for insulin, due to hormonal changes, which the body cannot respond to with sufficient insulin production.
- secondary diabetes: e.g. pancreatitis, post-pancreatic surgery, hemochromatosis (iron overload disorder)
In addition, several other forms of diabetes are known to exist:
- LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults): a condition that begins in adulthood, much slower than type 1 diabetes, which usually leads to insulin deficiency.
- MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young): a so-called monogenic form of diabetes with a genetic defect in one of the individual MODY genes. These genetic defects often cause diabetes already at an early age.
According to Current Care Guidelines, the main goals for diabetes treatment and self-care guidance are:
- to support the patient’s physical, mental and social wellbeing and readiness to influence their own wellbeing without unnecessary restrictions
- to prevent acute complications (including severe hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis) and deaths caused by them
- to prevent symptoms due to hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia
- to prevent long-term micro- (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) and macrovascular complications with good treatment of the components found in blood sugar and metabolic syndrome.
FreeStyleLibre Sensors Will Be Renewed as Follows:
Libre 2 sensor will be replaced by Libre 2 Plus version (9/2024)
– The lifespan of the sensor will grow up to 15 days. The user receives 25 sensors per year free of charge from the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia (2025).
– The sensor will be read either with a smartphone or with a Libre 2 reader (blue).
– If you are using a Libre 1 reader (black), you can use the app in your smartphone or contact your diabetes clinic, because the reader needs to be changed.
Libre 3 sensor will be replaced by Libre 3 Plus version (at the changing of the year)
– The lifespan of the sensor will grow up to 15 days. The user receives 25 sensors per year free of charge from the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia (2025).
Reclamations concerning the sensors
– Please get acquainted with the instructions on how to apply the sensor (sufficient cleansing with an alcohol-based solution among others), in order for the sensor to remain properly attached to your skin.
– If you still encounter problems/defects, it is very important to file a complaint to the manufacturer (Abbott). These include for example cases where the sensor comes off prematurely (excluding tearing), an error code, or the sensor ceases to function prematurely.
– The reclamation can be made online (https://www.freestyle.abbott/fi-fi/tuki/sensorin-reklamaatiolomake.html) or by phone 0800-555 500 (weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., free of charge).
Contact Information
Reception Mon and Wed
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Entrance D
Reception Mon-Fri
Open Mon-Thu 08:00-16:00, Fri 08:00-14:00
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Entrance C. Reception Mon-Fri
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Building 2
Open Mon–Thu 08:00–16:00, Fri 08:00–12:00
diabetesvaasa@ovph.fi (for general matters, not classified information)
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Reception Mon-Tue and Thu
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Diabetes reception Mon-Fri
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Diabetes reception Tue-Thu
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Diabetes reception Tue-Thu