Experts at session organised on Saturday to mark the upcoming World Diabetes Day, stressed the need to raise awareness about the deadly disease, its prevention and how patients can manage it. Photo: Express
KARACHI: Sir Syed Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology Director Dr Zaman Shaikh and Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences Karachi organised a seminar for World Diabetes Day, which is observed on November 14, at a local hotel on Saturday in partnership with the Express Media Group.
Professor Samad Shera, Afzal Moin and Dr Zaman Shaikh, Professor Abdul Basit, Dr Shehla Naseem, Professor Akhter Ali Baloch, Dr Shabeen Naz Masood, Professor Mashoor Alam, Professor Ejaz Vohra, Dr Khalid Khalil, Professor Muhammad Ishaq, Professor Feroz Memon and others attended the seminar.
A ‘sweet’ miracle for diabetes patients
Prof Zaman Sheikh said that diabetes is common in Pakistan and around 26 per cent of the population is affected by the disease. The disease can be fatal if not handled properly. Diabetic patients are at risk of losing their eyesight, having heart attacks and renal failures. He said that before the discovery of injectable insulin, patients used to die within two years of catching the disease. Moreover, he said that people suffering from depression have a higher tendency to get diabetic.
"Around 24 per cent of the people suffering from depression develop diabetes, however, only 25 per cent out of those patients are diagnosed with the disease," he said.
Prof Samad Shera highlighted that due to the lack of awareness on the disease, 80 per cent of patients do not receive the correct treatment. He urged parents to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet, and to inspire their children to do the same as the disease is transferred through genes. Another cause of this disease is obesity, he said, adding that a healthy diet and exercise can go a long way in preventing this disease.
Dr Shahid Nasim carried Prof Shera's point forward and stated that obesity and diabetes are closely related. "BMI is the way to detect obesity and if the BMI increases, there is a strong possibility that you get diabetes," he said.
Pakistan healthcare system can’t cater to even a third of heart patients
Dr Shabeen Naz Masood said that healthy mothers promote a healthy society. She highlighted that pregnant women must have their blood sugar level tested at least thrice during the period of pregnancy. "A baby has a high risk of getting diabetes if the mother is diabetic," she said. "Diagnosis of the disease on time can help control it."
Express Media Group's Marketing Director Azfar Mehmood Nizami and Dr Zaman Shaikh awarded shields to the speakers.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2019.
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