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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Pakistan will become 4th largest Diabetes Population 2030

pakistan diabetes
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) president-elect Sir Michael Hirst has said that more than 300 million people have diabetes, representing six percent of the world’s adult population, with numbers increasing fast everywhere.

This he said on Sunday while addressing the second session of a 3-day Second International Conference on Diabetes 2011 that began on Saturday. It is being jointly organised by the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and the Diabetic Association of Pakistan (DAP).

Hirst said an additional seven million people develop the disease each year. “By 2025, IDF estimates that 380 million people will have diabetes, with the greatest burden falling on low and middle-income countries. It is causing premature deaths in both children and adults, and devastating complications including amputations, kidney and heart disease. The cost of diabetes is challenging health systems even in the wealthiest countries”, he said.

He elaborated that IDF had planed to increase its funding and to expand strategic alliances with governments, industry, civil society and international organisations to carry forward their mission. The IDP president said that the federation strategic goals were to drive change at all levels, from local to global, to prevent diabetes and increase access to essential medicines and to develop and encourage best practice in diabetes policy, management and education. He stressed on developing tools to disseminate relevant information on diabetes treatment, management and prevention.

DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Masood Hameed Khan said in his address that diabetes, being the most widespread metabolic disorder, has remained the focus of innumerable researches, investigations and studies across the world. He said that proper control of diabetes could prevent or delay the long-term complications.

He said that health-care providers could play a significant role in preventing the disease from turning a patient’s life miserable. He stressed the need for concerted and coordinated efforts towards preventing of diabetes and minimising the consequences of the disease at patient, community and government levels.

DAP director Prof A Samad Shera gave a brief introduction of the conference. He said that in Pakistan, 10 percent of younger population has diabetes with a large number of increasing in next few years. He said that comparison showed that female are more affected by diabetes then men with a ratio of 51 percent of female and 49 percent of male.

Prof Samad revealed that due to its complications, the diabetes death ratio is more in females. He said that studies revealed that 53,000 female whereas 26,000 male die every year due to diabetes and its related complications. The complication of diabetes includes kidney failure, heart problem and eyesight problem.

National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology director Prof Zaman Shaikh said that in Pakistan every year about 12,000 diabetes patients become victim of retinopathy, a common diabetic eye disease, and more than hundred of patients have to do foot surgery due to diabetes. He further informed that today according to figures of IDF, 285 million people worldwide are affected with diabetes. It is estimated that the figures would reach new height of 438.4 million by the year 2030 (increase of about 54 percent).

Prof Shaikh said that the situation in Pakistan was alarming and with a current diabetic population of 7.1 million. He said: “We rank 7th in the world in terms of having number of people with diabetes. With an estimated prevalence of 7.6 percent at present, it is estimated that by 2030, we will have 4th largest diabetic population in the world (13.8 million).” shahid farooq

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