Early diagnosis, constant care are key
He said that diabetes patients suffered from a slowdown of mental processing abilities that persist if diabetes is not checked.
Mubbashar said that diabetes patients had double the risk of suffering from depression than people without the disease. He said that depression worsened physical and mental functioning in the patients causing them to ignore the required diet or medication plan. He said that treating depression could therefore improve a diabetic’s ability to cope with his condition.
He said that around 50 per cent of people affected with diabetes remain unaware of their condition until very late.
“Pakistan is seventh in the World Health Organisation (WHO) list of countries with the most diabetes patients in 2008,” Dr Muhammad Imran, who is in charge of the Diabetes Endocrine Management Centre at the Lahore General Hospital, told the audience during another seminar.
He said that very few studies had been done inside the country to come up with a reliable number of affected people. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), he said, was the most reliable and it stated that by the end of 2010 the number of diabetes patients would exceed 8 million. He said it was 6.9 million in 2009, adding, that it was expected to rise to 11.5 million by 2025. He said that the majority of diabetes patients were in urban areas. These, he said, were over 30 years of age, and mostly overweight.
Similar seminars were organised at the Services Hospital and the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to the mark World Diabetes Day. Free medical camps were set up at LGH and Shaikh Zayed Hospital and a walk was organised from Yadgar Chowk to The Mall to raise awareness about the disease.
The day is celebrated on November 14 as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the disease and its treatment. It was initiated in 1991 by the IDF and its member associations and was adopted as an official day by the United Nations in 2007. This year, a second five-year campaign will be launched by the IDF to educate people about the disease and its preventive measures.
In the seminar at the Services Hospital, Dr Javed Akram, the Allama Iqbal Medical College principal, said that diabetes was a chronic condition caused by abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood.
He said that diabetes was first identified as a disease associated with “sweet urine,” and excessive muscle loss in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine.
He said that the pancreas produced insulin to keep blood glucose at a normal level. He added that whenever it surges (mostly after meals) the pancreas automatically releases insulin to normalise it.
In diabetics, he said, the pancreas either produced very little or no insulin, causing hyperglycemia, a chronic condition that can be controlled but not cured.
Dr Akram said that if not controlled, diabetes could cause permanent blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage. He added that by accelerating the process of hardening and narrowing of arteries, diabetes could increase the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and other blood vessel diseases.
Rana Waqar, a diabetic, said that he had successfully controlled his condition by keeping a balanced diet, exercising regularly and following his physician’s prescription.
Symptoms
Weight loss despite an increase in appetite, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Some patients may develop bladder and skin infections.
Causes
Insufficient or no production of insulin, production of defective insulin (which is uncommon) or the inability of cells to use insulin properly and efficiently
Diagnosis
Blood glucose (sugar) test while fasting
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2010.
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