SANGLA HILL -  In connection the World Diabetes Day, a seminar was held at the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Sangla Hill where experts highlighted the aggravating situation due to uncontrolled diabetes in the country.

Addressing the seminar, speakers including Prof Dr Ali Hassan Warraich, an eminent dialectologist, said that an estimated 82,000 women die of diabetes and its related complications in Pakistan each year while the death ratio in females is higher than the males. He said the number of diabetes patients in Pakistan was 7 million, which would rise to 14.4 million by 2040 if not controlled.

“Due to poor socio-economic conditions in the developing countries like Pakistan, women with diabetes experience barriers in accessing cost-effective treatment and care,” he said. “Although prevalence ratio of diabetes is almost equal in women and men but around 82,000 women die of diabetic-related complications in Pakistan each year, while 36,000 men die of the disease in the country.”

Diabetes potentially affects almost every human organ and damages major organs like eyes, kidney, foot if not controlled properly, he added. “At present, there are 199 million women with diabetes in the world and the number will rise to staggering figure of 313 million by the year 2040,” Dr Sara Cheema said.

“Approximately 1 in 7 births is affected by gestational diabetes (GDM), a serious threat to maternal and child health. Approximately half of women with a history of GDM go on to develop type-2 diabetes within 5 to 6 years after giving birth,” she explained. She said diabetes is the 9th leading cause of death in women worldwide, causing 2.1 million deaths every year.

She said at present, 415 million adults were suffering from diabetes and the number would rise to 642 million by the year 2040. She urged the people to modify their lifestyle, change their unhealthy dietary habits, include exercise and exertion in their daily life and take precautionary measures to prevent themselves from type-2 or lifestyle diabetes, which is mother of most of the illnesses.

The speakers demanded the authorities concerned establish primary diabetes care centres throughout Pakistan for treatment and management of the diabetes at local level.