As many as 350 million people are diabetic worldwide and the number is likely to be more than double in the next 20 years, according to a study by World Health Organisation (WHO) which is commemorating today as World Health Day with a slogan ‘Beat Diabetes’.
The study further reveals that the Arab and Middle Eastern countries have high rate of diabetics incidence and the Sultanate of Oman too bears a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes. Many studies have documented the distribution of risk factors related with NCDs in this country.
The WHO predicted an increase of 190 per cent in the number of subjects living with diabetes in Oman over the next 20 years, rising from 75,000 in 2000 to 217,000 in 2025.
Medical professionals and dieticians attribute this galloping rate of sugar patients to various lifestyle reasons and genetic factor.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces,” says Jishy Seby, Diet Consultant.
“Insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, gives us the energy that we need to live. If it cannot get into the cells to be burned as energy, sugar builds up to harmful levels in the blood,” she added.
In 2014, a report published in a medical journal by the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) stated that 30 per cent of Omani population was overweight and 20 per cent of Omanis were obese.
According to an annual health report from the MoH, diabetic subjects in Oman have high rates of diabetes-related complications. It was found that more than 50 per cent of amputations in Oman are attributed to diabetes mellitus. The highest combined incidence of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes was found in Muscat (26 per cent), followed by Al Dhahirah (22 per cent) and Dhofar (21 per cent). The burden of Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes across the country ranged from 8per cent to 18 per cent for type 2 diabetes and 2 per cent to 8per cent for pre-diabetes. In general, type 2 diabetes mellitus was more common in urban than in rural places (urban to rural ratio prevalence rates was found to be 235 : 100).
“Globally, obesity and low physical activity are the major risk factors propelling the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes.”
“Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders affecting mankind and has been known for centuries as a disease related to sweetness,” Dr Thashli Thankachan, Specialist Physician, said.
“There are 2 main forms of the DM. People with type 1 diabetes typically make none of their own insulin and therefore require insulin injections to survive. People with type 2 diabetes, the form that comprises some 90 per cent of cases, usually produce their own insulin, but not enough or they are unable to use it properly. People with type 2 diabetes are typically overweight and sedentary, 2 conditions that raise a person’s insulin needs,” he added.
Over a period of time, high blood sugar can seriously compromise every major organ system in the body, causing heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, impotence and infections that can lead to amputations.
Doctors say, if one fails to keep away from becoming diabetic, some changes in lifestyle can keep him or her away from the debilitating repercussions of being diabetic.
“Diet and exercise is very important in the management of diabetes. A completely different diet is not needed for a diabetic. The nutrient requirement for a diabetic is same as that of normal person. But diabetic has to reduce the intake of certain food stuffs in order to reduce the sugar level in blood,” Jishy said.
Source: OmanObserver