Many Nigerians living with diabetes unaware — Ondo Diabetes Association

THE Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, has disclosed that many Nigerians are diabetic without knowing until it becomes life-threatening, saying late detection often results in unavoidable complications.

The chairman of the association in the state, Dr Adenike Enikuomehin, who disclosed this during a sensitisation visit to Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure, to commemorate this year’s World Diabetes Day with the theme ‘”Education to Protect Tomorrow,” said Nigerians need to embrace regular health checks at least twice a year.

Enikuomehin who raised the alarm that many Nigerians currently living with diabetes are oblivious of their health condition,  said many are not in the know of the dangers of late detection of diabetes hence the need for intensive advocacy.

She emphasised the need for Nigerians to embrace regular health checks even when they have no symptoms, urging medical personnel to raise awareness of the growing burden of diabetes to halt mortality arising from the disease.

Enikuomehin who led her team to the school also highlighted the risk factors associated with diabetes including a family history of diabetes, being overweight, having an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, age, high blood pressure and a history of gestational diabetes.

She said: “More than 500 million people worldwide have diabetes and every six seconds, somebody dies because of diabetes.

“Majority of the people with diabetes don’t even know they have diabetes, and if they know, the majority don’t come to the hospital till when the complication of diabetes had set in.

“We decided to go to girls’ secondary school this year because the girls are our mothers and they are our protectors. They are the ones that can ask their parents if they had taken their drugs, or done exercise.

“They can even talk to their parents about the need to regularly check their blood glucose. Early in life they will know what diabetes is and be able to identify any symptoms of diabetes.

“Education is power. The majority of the people that have diabetes don’t even know they have diabetes and about 90 per cent of people don’t even know that they have diabetes.

“Diabetes comes with symptoms of excessive urination and weight loss. But most people present with symptoms of complications can come with diabetic foot ulcer, painful sensation in the leg, erectile dysfunction, palpitation, heart attack, and poor eyesight.

The principal of the school, Mrs Temitope Ojoge, lauded the team for the educative sessions, promising to imbibe them into the student, regular exercise.

“The visit is a blessing to this school. We were ignorant of some issues. They were a lot of things we did not know about diabetes and there are a lot of things we did not know about the symptoms.

“I have been agitating before now that we should add exercise to our curriculum in the school. I have already spoken to my teachers to ensure that exercise will be part of our curriculum and every Friday we will have to do exercise.”

For the students, the message passed is not for them alone as they promised to be agents of change in the fight against diabetes.