When South Africans woke up to the sad news of SABC sports analyst and veteran anchor David Kekana's death, the Kekana family confirmed that the veteran journalist passed away after a prolonged battle with chronic diabetes.
The 47-year-old father of two was admitted to Milpark Hospital for two weeks before he died.
In South Africa, diabetes is the second most common cause of death, according to a 2016 Statistics South Africa report on mortality and causes of death.
The report says the majority of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes - where the body becomes resistant to insulin, resulting in dangerously high blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by lifestyle or genetic factors.
Mayo Clinic explains chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes - when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes - and gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy but may resolve after the baby is delivered.
Diabetes symptoms vary depending on how much your blood sugar is elevated. Some people, especially those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe.
Some of the signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Extreme hunger
- Unexplained weight loss
- Presence of ketones in the urine (ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin)
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- Frequent infections, such as gums or skin infections and vaginal infections
Anyone experience any of these symptoms should consult a medical doctor