By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: A significant number of people are identified with undiagnosed diabetes during screening campaigns and surveys in the country, according to a senior health expert.
Indicating a high ratio, at least 30 percent people are found having undiagnosed diabetes, Dr Mahmoud Ali Zirie, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) told this daily.
“One among three people at screening campaigns is found with undiagnosed diabetes and it’s a very high ratio,” he said.
Diabetes has afflicted 16.7 percent of people between 20 and 65 years. Also between 25 and 35 children per 100,000 in the country are diabetic, he said.
Dr Ali Zirie advised people with a risk of developing diabetes — like being overweight — and anyone in the family having the disease to follow a healthy lifestyle, exercise and do a fast-blood test annually.
“Simple lifestyle changes like reducing your weight, making healthy food choices and exercising will help prevent diabetes.
“Generic diabetes runs in families, but we don’t know the exact gene. But if parents are diabetics, children have high risk,” he added. If not controlled, diabetes can put a person at risk for complications that can affect nearly every organ in the body including the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.
Signs and symptoms of the disease can be attributed to other things, such as ageing or a stressful lifestyle, so it is important to be observant regarding changes to health.
If a person has a family history of diabetes, or has any combination of some symptoms is advised to get a test done. Common symptoms for diabetes are identified as increased thirst, increased urination, slow healing wounds, general weakness and tiredness, blurred vision, weight loss, dry or itchy skin, recurrent inflammation or abscesses.
Awareness programmes on the disease are held by HMC frequently, including an annual campaign coinciding with World Diabetes Day, due to the high prevalence of the disease.
On its Facebook page, HMC is creating awareness about its high level diabetes diagnosis, assessment, education, management and multi-disciplinary care, and risk factors which could lead a person to the disease. It encourages people to visit the website dibetes.hamad.qa and find an understanding of the disease.
The website provides lifestyle advice for prevention and management, an introduction to HMC’s services, facilities and multidisciplinary care teams, news, research and educational resources for health professionals.
The Peninsula
