By Our Correspondent
As the World Marks World Diabetes Day with the theme “Access to Diabetes Care” National Eye Centre on Tuesday offered free test to about 200 Kaduna Residents stressing that about 6 million Nigerians are currently with Diabetes.
Speaking at a lecture on the Day at the National Eye Centre Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria, Dr. Shehu Abdulrahman, a Chief Consultant, Chemical Pathologist and Metabolic Physician said researches have shown that in every 1000 Nigerians, 36 have Diabetes.
According to Abdulrahman “6million Nigerians currently suffer from Diabetics. There is another 8 million on prediabetes level.
Partnership with media will help information sharing and education and multiplicity of information will help.”
Experts had estimated the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria to be 4.3 per cent and it was largely attributed to lifestyle changes caused by urbanisation 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 said 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 utilisation by the body. Uncontrolled diabetes results in high blood sugar, which over time seriously harms many different body systems.
He said Diabetes is not only closely associated with high blood pressure, obesity and hereditary, its complications also include damage to the brain, heart, kidney and limbs. It exposes its victim to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation.