About 25 million people in Bangladesh, some 7.5 percent of the population, now have diabetes, and doctors fear the number could double by 2050. They gave the figures on Sunday at a roundtable titled 'Early preparation and quick action to tackle the risk of diabetes', organised by the Bangladesh Endocrine Society at the Prothom Alo building in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.
The doctors said diabetes usually cannot be cured once it develops, but it can be controlled. Left uncontrolled, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blood vessel complications and damage to the eyes and nerves. Poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity and low awareness raise the risk. Participants included Professor A F M Siddiqui, vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Medical University, and Professor Nazmul Hossain, director general of the Directorate General of Health Education.
Their first four tips for individuals: eat healthy, moderate meals with vegetables, fruit and fibre, and avoid excess sugar and sweets; do not eat too much rice, bread or other starch at once, and set portions with a nutritionist's advice; walk at least 150 minutes a week, split into shorter walks if needed; and exercise according to age and ability while staying active in daily life.
The other four: test early if there is a family history of diabetes or obesity, to catch pre-diabetes; take medicines regularly at the prescribed dose and never stop on one's own (the idea that insulin cannot be stopped once started is also wrong, they said); have blood pressure, kidneys, heart, eyes and feet checked regularly; and do not be misled by advertisements for herbal or unscientific diabetes cures.
On pregnancy, Professor Sehereen F Siddiqa, chair of gynaecology and obstetrics at Bangladesh Medical College, said diabetes in pregnancy endangers both mother and child. Blood sugar should be tested and controlled from the time a pregnancy is planned, and women at risk should be identified quickly after conception and given an OGTT, especially early in pregnancy and between weeks 24 and 28.
She said uncontrolled diabetes in pregnancy raises the mother's risk of high blood pressure, complications in childbirth and maternal death, and the child's risk of miscarriage, birth defects, high birth weight and newborn death. Early preparation and regular testing are the answer.
Photo: Erik1980 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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