World Diabetes Day Observed in Pakistan amid rising Obesity
Pakistan Times Health Desk

KARACHI: Pakistan observed the World Diabetes Day on Sunday, in a situation where the disease is assuming serious proportions with 12 per cent of its inhabitants above 25 years suffering from the condition and 10 per cent having impaired glucose tolerance [IGT].

Another alarming aspect of the scenario is the emergence of obesity as a common factor among local women, 79 per cent of the local women are registered to be obese.

Available figures based on body mass index [BMI] reveal that 96 per cent of women are inflicted with central obesity hence susceptible to be inflicted with the disease at any point of time.

Waist to Hip Ratio

Waist to hip ratio turns almost 79 per cent of men to be prone to develop diabetes.

"Recent figures based on BMI show 37 per cent of men with diabetes and 79 per cent women were obese," Dr. Fatema Jawad, a senior diabetologist and researcher said to 'Pakistan Times'.

Ironically rampant there is indifference towards the situation among masses as well at government level and policy makers reveal surge in diabetes related complications including eye damage (retinopathy), kidney disease, (nephropathy) and nerve damage (neuropathy).

The situation tends to be all the more grim as scarcity of health care services, particularly in rural areas, turns significant number of population without necessary medical support and required treatment facilities.

Dr. Jawad also referred to a Diabetic Association of Pakistan's study into chronic complications, involving 500 people with diabetes.

The Upshot

Eye damage (retinopathy) was found to affect 43 percent of the people, kidney disease (nephropathy) 20 percent and nerve damage (neuropathy) 40 percent.

Institutions specializing in diabetes care were reported to be limited in number and largely concentrated in the big cities. There were also said to be no support personnel and very few dieticians. Family Physicians lacked time for counselling.

A survey of GPs working in both rural and urban areas of Pakistan showed the average time spent with a person with diabetes was 8.5 minutes.

All these factors were further compounded by cultural practices in the country. The gender bias is very strong.

Pakistan, by now is a male dominated society and prejudice against women is reflected in the higher female mortality and low literacy rates.

The combination factors are giving rise to the strong negative repercussions on health.●