In a recent survey in Kathmandu, one out of four people aged 60 years were found to be suffering from post-diabetes. Reports till date show that there are 900,000 diabetic people in Nepal.[break]
Diabetes patients are found more in urban areas than in the rural and two-third of the diabetes patients are diagnosed during health camps, General Physician at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Dr. Ramesh Maharjan said. And of them most of the cases are found to be in a critical situation, he added.
The life expectancy of the people suffering from diabetes is 13 years less than the normal life expectancy rate of the country, he said.
Diabetes can be controlled if the people are aware about their problem. They can reduce complications like heart attack, kidney failure, paralysis and diabetic retinopathy if the patients remain in regular check-up and in a balance diet.
Sixty per cent of the diabetic condition can be prevented while 50 per cent of complications can be reduced with regular check-up, healthy diet and exercise, Dr. Maharjan said.
The disease affects the whole family of a patient, both economically and mentally. The average investment for treatment of diabetes disease is said to be around Rs. 44,000 per person but there could be loss of hundred of thousand rupees.
Considering the increasing threat posed by this disease to human life, Diabetes Day is marked across the globe every year on November 14. The Day is being observed today with the slogan, "Lets Take Control of Diabetes."
The disease is report to have affected the lives of over 300 million people all over the world. In recent years, World Diabetes Day has focused particularly on raising awareness of the complications of diabetes affecting the heart, eyes, kidneys, and feet.
The World Diabetes Day was introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to the alarming rise of diabetes around the world.
World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the campaigns last the whole year, the day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.
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