Expert: 5m People Die of Diabetes Annually

By Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
Diabetes has been described as one of the most deadly diseases in the world that claims lives frequently more than other epidemics like the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV), malaria, tuberculosis etc, as about five million patients in the world die of the disease annually.

A guest speaker at the National Diabetes Workshop organised by the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) in collaboration with the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (OOF) as part of events marking this year’s World Diabetes Day, Prof. Bakari Adamu Girei, disclosed Monday during the opening ceremony of the programme held at Nicon Luxury Hotels, Abuja.

Girei, who lamented that diabetes in Nigeria is an unrecognised national epidemic despite the increase in its prevalence, said poor control of the disease could lead to acute complication, eye complication, foot amputation, kidney disease, heart attack and stroke among other problems.

According to him, diabetes is categorised into four — 1, 2, 3 and 4 — that affect children, adults, pregnant women and the one which is being caused by other diseases respectively, pointing out that there is no better treatment for the disease than frequent taking of medication according to prescription and eating the right food.

He however decried the use of herbal remedies by some diabetics, claiming that many of such medicines have not undergone careful scientific assessment.
Details later…