Johannesburg - People with diabetes break their fast during Ramadaan due to various challenges related to the disease, a new study has revealed.
The Ramadaan and Diabetes Patients’ Awareness survey, sponsored by global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, surveyed 407 patients living with diabetes from Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and South Africa who fast during Ramadaan.
Ramadaan is a holy month for Muslims, from June 17 to July 17 this year.
It is estimated that about 50 million Muslims worldwide with diabetes fast every day from sunrise to sunset during Ramadaan.
The survey, conducted last year, found that 79 percent of the participants had type-2 diabetes while 15 percent had type-1 diabetes. Three percent had gestational diabetes while four percent said they did not know which type of diabetes they had.
“A third (36 percent) of people broke their fast, with 52 percent citing hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) as one of the reasons for doing so,” the survey said.
About 40 percent of people felt that fasting affected their daily lives and work productivity, and more than a third of the patients who broke their fast felt ashamed about it.
Some of the difficulties included fatigue, dizziness and dehydration.
Forty-nine percent of South African participants reported fasting as challenging due to their diabetes.
More than 40 percent of patients with diabetes fasted without supervision from their healthcare professionals, and of these, 24 percent made their own changes to their treatment regimen.
“Sixty-four percent of unsupervised patients do not change their existing treatment and 76 percent maintain the same frequency of blood glucose testing. The changes in glucose levels during Ramadaan are generally worse than that for supervised patients,” the survey revealed.
“It is important for people with diabetes who fast during Ramadaan to speak with their doctor prior to beginning the fast,” said Dr Lindiwe Pemba, the medical affairs manager at Novo Nordisk.
“Patients can be assisted to feel more in control of their diabetes through education, increased monitoring and tailoring of their treatment regimen. However, hypoglycaemia remains a major challenge that can disrupt many fasts,” she added.
The Star