From:Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
As the World Marks World Diabetes Day with the theme; “Access to Diabetes Care”, the National Eye Centre on Tuesday offered free tests to 200 Kaduna Residents stressing that about 6 million Nigerians are currently with diabetes.
Speaking during a lecture on World Diabetics Day at the National Eye Centre Kaduna, Dr. Shehu Abdulrahman, a Chief Consultant Chemical Pathologist and Metabolic Physician said research showed that in every 1000 Nigerians, 36 Nigerians have diabetes.
According to Abdulrahman, “6million Nigerians currently suffering from diabetics. There are another 8 million at the prediabetes level.
Partnership with media will help information sharing and education and multiplicity of information will help.
“Experts estimated the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria to be 4.3 percent and it was largely attributed to lifestyle changes caused by urbanization and its results.
“These include industries producing unhealthy diets, including sugar-sweetened drinks, lack of exercise, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol. In addition, “lack of education for those living with all types of diabetes, and access to affordable treatment, including insulin, has been affecting the management of the disease in the country.”
Also speaking, Dr Paul Unung maintained that diabetes is a silent killer and one of the leading causes of death globally. “It is a chronic condition brought about by either insufficient insulin (hormone regulating blood sugar levels) production by the pancreas, or inefficient insulin utilization by the body. Uncontrolled diabetes results in high blood sugar, which over time seriously harms many different body systems.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
