Pakistan has seventh highest number of diabetics in the world

More women than men die from diabetes every year in Pakistan.

KARACHI:

An alarming 7.1 million people suffer from diabetes, making it the seventh highest population of diabetic patients in the world.

According to National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology director Dr Zaman Shaikh, with an estimated prevalence of 7.6 per cent at present, it is estimated that by 2030, Pakistan will have the fourth largest diabetic population in the world — around 13.8 million people.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of Dow Continued Medical Education Programme for Family Physicians held at the Ataur Rehman Lecture Hall in Dow Medical College on Wednesday.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, 285 million people across the world are suffering from diabetes and the figure is expected to reach 438.4 million by the year 2030 — an increase of nearly 54 per cent.

Referring to the Middle East and North African region, which includes Pakistan, Dr Shaikh said that the number of people living with diabetes is 26.4 million but, by the year 2030, there will be an increase of 94 per cent and the population of diabetics will increase to 51.7 million. According to the statistics shared by Professor Ejaz Ahmed Vohra, chairman of the medicine department and postgraduates’ dean at the Ziauddin Medical University, approximately 88,000 people — 35,615 men and 52,397 women — die from diabetes every year in Pakistan.

The mean health expenditure on diabetic management in Pakistan is about $24 per person as compared to $55 per person in India. In Afghanistan, it is $33 while in Nigeria and Sudan the figure rises to $47 and $52, respectively. Meanwhile, Turkey spends as much as $571 per person. Prof Vohra mentioned that common endocrine disorders, besides diabetes, are thyroid diseases, short/tall stature, osteoporosis (brittle bones)/calcium metabolism, male and female infertility, hirsutism (excessive hair), gynecomastia (development of abnormally large breasts in men), ambiguous genitalia, sexual problems and steroid disorders.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2011.