The Cuban-Irish joint company Mediatex SA develops a line of therapeutic socks for patients with diabetes, a disease that affects 66.5 people per thousand inhabitants in Cuba, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap).
Joan Barroso, the company’s sales manager, explained to the Cuban News Agency (ACN) that this product should prevent the formation of ulcers and dryness in the foot, due to the structure of the knitted fabric in the form of a panel, which maintains transpiration.
The specialist said that these stockings were made with a cuff that does not squeeze the ankles or calves, and, therefore, does not affect blood circulation in the lower limbs.
The aim of these therapeutic socks is also to combat irritation, psoriasis, the formation of varicose veins and other circulatory disorders in the legs, according to Barroso.
According to the source, the tights are woven and are composed of 60% long-staple combed cotton, and the rest is polyamide microfiber. Antifungal and antibacterial additives are also used.
Diabetes in Cuba
According to the Minsap Health Yearbook, diabetes is a prevalent disease among Cubans and is included among the main causes of death. Approximately more than 730 thousand people suffer from it on the island.
Sancti Spíritus is the province with the most diabetic patients per thousand inhabitants, followed by Matanzas, Havana and Camagüey.
In 2021, almost four thousand people died in Cuba due to this disease, while, in 2022, the number decreased to nearly two thousand 500. Health authorities warned during the pandemic that suffering from diabetes increased the risks of moving to a stage serious or die.
Among the biggest complications that this condition entails are diabetic foot ulcers.
According to a report from the University of Navarra Clinic in Spain, diabetes causes decreased sensitivity and poor circulation in the foot, which can lead to the formation of an ulcer, which could lead to amputation.
Cuba has the drug Heberprot-P, the only pharmacological treatment option in the world for high-grade injuries to the lower limbs, which reduces the risk of amputation by nearly 75%.
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This was declared to Granmascientific leader of the project, Dr. Jorge Berlanga, who added that the medication remains the only one capable of preventing short-term recurrences of this type of ulcers.
In more than 20 years of application, Heberprot-P has been used in 450,000 Cuban and foreign patients.
Mediatex SA, the only one of its kind
The Cuban-Irish company Mediatex SA, based in Havana, was created in 2010 and is the only company in Cuba that is dedicated to the production of stockings.
Since 2016, the production of socks for medicinal uses began, especially for patients with varicose veins, blood clots or other conditions in their extremities, as well as items for the prevention of sports injuries.
The company, which is part of the Light Industry Business Group, sells its goods wholesale and through e-commerce platforms.
