…One in every two people with diabetes undiagnosed
…Risk heart, brain damage
To avert complications from diabetes such as foot ulcer, Nigerians have been urged to go for regular screening for early detection and effective management of the disease.
Experts say undiagnosed diabetes can damage the heart, kidney, brain and eyes while urging families to show love and support to their loved ones living with diabetes.
According to experts, regular screening will enable people know warning symptoms and signs associated with the disease by discovering, preventing and managing it through proper education.
Speaking at a media round table organised by Nigeria Health Online (NHO) in collaboration with Roche Diabetes Products in Lagos recently to mark the 2018 World Diabetes Day, a renowned endocrinologist and Medical Director, Rainbow Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Afokoghene Isiavwe, said persons living with undetected or poorly managed diabetes would develop a wide range of complications, including diabetes mellitus foot syndrome, which sometimes results in the amputation of the patient’s leg and death.
Isiavwe revealed that knowing the signs and symptoms of diabetes can lead to early diagnosis, adding that treatment is key to helping prevent or delay life-threatening complications.
A Nigerian study recently published by the British Medical Journal shows that four million Nigerians have Type 2 diabetes.
Commenting on this year’s theme which focused on the family, Isiavwe said type 2 diabetes prevention involves the family adopting a healthy lifestyle.
” Reducing your family’s risk starts at home. Eating healthy meals and exercising together is beneficial and encourages behaviors that could help prevent type 2 diabetes in the family. People with a family history of diabetes, should learn about diabetes, its risks, symptoms and complications and how to prevent them. Families need to live in an environment that supports healthy lifestyles and helps them to prevent type 2 diabetes”, she said.
According to her, family support is key because diabetes management requires daily treatment, regular monitoring, a healthy lifestyle and education.
She added: “Detecting diabetes early involves the family too as one in every two people with diabetes is undiagnosed.”
For better treatment outcome, Isiavwe said it was important that health professionals also have the knowledge and skills to help individuals and families manage diabetes.
She noted that it was important that appropriate care was given to patients and to also know when to refer them to specialist.
Stressing the importance of diabetes education, the endocrinologist urged Health Maintenance Organisations(HMOs) and health insurance companies to reimburse diabetes education.
Adding that informed and enlightened person living with diabetes is less likely to have problems in diabetes management and less likely to develop complications.
In her remarks, Head , Roche Diabetes Care, Sub -Sahara Africa , Mrs Susan Snell , announced plans by Roche to introduce new devices in 2019 that would help in early detection of new cases of diabetes in
Nigeria.
Snell noted that Roche has been involved in diabetes patient care for 40 years by providing the Accu – check blood sugar measurement , which persons living with diabetes could use at home or anywhere they
are .
She said the company constantly strives to improve on the device to ensure better accuracy in the measurement of blood sugar
level.
The experts said the primary aim of the World Diabetes Day and World Diabetes Month campaign is to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and promote the role of the family in the management, care, prevention and education of the condition.
