Diabetes killed over 400,000 in Africa in 2021 — Expert

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3 years ago

A diabetes expert, Dr Williams Balogun says that, in 2021, diabetes killed 6.7 million people globally, with over 400,000 of these in Africa due to hereditary and environmental factors.

Dr Balogun spoke on ‘Diabetes Mellitus: Risk Factor, Primary and Secondary Preventive Measures’ at a symposium and tribute day organised by University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, in honour of late Mr Adekunle Atinwore, a former deputy director at the hospital.

Dr Balogun stated that diabetes is still a myth to many people even though globally, one in 10 people live with diabetes and it killed 6.7 million people, globally, in 2021.

According to him, “It’s so rampant that in 2006, the United Nation passed a resolution asking that the world really take it very seriously. One in two of these people that have diabetes don’t even know that they have it; one in nine have what we call pre-diabetes, and are on the way to becoming diabetes.

“One in six of pregnant women have hyperglycemia, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. About 1.2 million children and adolescents are living with Type 1 Diabetes; three in four people with diabetes live in low and middle-income countries. And nine per cent of the global budget is spent in managing diabetes and its complications.”

Dr Balogun stated that at least seven of every 10 people have Type 2 Diabetes, a type of diabetes that is preventable through lifestyle modification in people that are at risk such as individuals who are obese, smoke, physically inactive, hypertensive, or eat junk fatty foods.

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He declared that with increasing age, individuals stand a higher risk of developing diabetes likewise through migration from the rural area to the urban area, use of some medications and pregnancy.

Dr Balogun stated that preventing diabetes is cheaper and better given that its complications kill, it is very expensive to treat, has great psychological implications, imparts the family and the society, stress of hospitalization, inconvenience of meal adjustments and its impact on the sexual and reproductive happiness of couples.

The expert urged increased awareness on diabetes, increased Federal Governments’ attention for diabetes and that Nigerians adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent diabetes.

At the occasion that had encomium showered on Late Mr Kunle Atinwole, Chairman at the occasion, Professor Abiodun Ilesanmi, represented by Professor Adeniyi Adenipekun stated that it was important individuals impart lives positively in any position they find themselves as late Atinwore did.

UCH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Jesse Otegbayo said the gathering was to celebrate him after his death at an early age, and this attests to the superiority of God because all was done by everyone to ensure that he had survived his illness.