Pretoria -
The staggering number of people living with diabetes and the steady increase of new cases paint a worrying picture for health services, communities and individuals in South Africa.
Statistics point to an estimated 2 million people living with diabetes in the country, the majority of them between the ages of 20 and 79, and whose lifestyles have been blamed for the onset of the disease.
The International Diabetes Federation says the proportion of people with diabetes has been growing steadily over the years.
“This growing prevalence of diabetes is closely linked to rapid cultural and social changes, ageing populations, increasing urbanisation, unhealthy eating and reduced physical activity,” the federation says.
The Department of Health has said many deaths and complications from diabetes were avoidable.
To ensure early detection, primary health care centres have included routine testing for patients coming in for any illness.
Diabetes affects communities the world over, and to commemorate World Health Day on Thursday, the UN has encouraged all countries to focus on diabetes, under the slogan “Halt the rise - beat diabetes”.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says more than 350 million people have diabetes across the world, and the number is expected to double in the next 20 years.
Deaths exceed 2 million per year, says WHO: “More than 80 percent of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries.”
In South Africa, the possibility is that every second person in 10 has diabetes, with the prevalence in people aged 60 and above increasing to at least one in four.
These figures and the reality of their increase from one year to the other cut a frightening figure, say health experts.
“They lead not only to poor health, disability and premature death, but also impact on health care costs and loss of productivity,” the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa said.
The organisation’s chief executive officer, Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, said they wanted to raise awareness about the burden and consequences of diabetes, and highlight the steps to halt the rise. “Diabetes and heart health have a direct relationship, because with diabetes, prolonged high blood sugar levels could severely compromise every organ system in the body,” she added.
This caused nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, impotence and infections and leg amputations.
“While heart disease and strokes are actually the biggest killers in those with diabetes, diabetes more than doubles the risk for heart disease or strokes,” Mungal-Singh said.
Diabetes could be beaten, as could heart diseases and strokes, she said.
“They can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle, and in those who already have diabetes, it can be treated and managed to prevent complications.”
The focus of this year’s commemoration of World Health Day was meant to highlight the main factors driving the growth of diabetes, WHO said, adding that measures required to prevent, detect and treat diabetes had to be brought to the forefront.
Pretoria News