GLOBALLY, 589 million adults aged 20-79 years are reportedly living with diabetes, according to estimates by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) for 2024. The agency that monitors the impact of the disease across the world projects that by 2050, that around 25 years from now, the rate of affliction would have surged to 853 million persons. The focus is on Type 2 diabetes, which is reported to constitute 90 per cent of diabetes cases worldwide.
The agency reports that 11.1 per cent of the adult population or one out of every nine persons of the category, is living with the sickness; while four out of 10 people are unaware they are carrying diabetes. The IDF report further indicates that 81 per cent of persons (or four out of five persons) living with the condition are in low and middle-income countries, or what is geopolitically known as developing countries.
The IDF report that was released during the World Diabetes Day commemoration last month, November, means that 81 per cent of the adult population suffering from diabetes live in developing countries, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, diabetes is described as one of the fastest-growing health challenge, and reported to be more prevalent in the Southern parts of the country, especially the South-South region.
Available statistics show that 11.4million people are carriers of diabetes in the country. The figure could be much greater because the data for the figure were gathered mostly from urban health institutions, which are easier to access. The vast rural areas all over the country, due to difficulties associated with reaching them, may have been overlooked in the analysis.
However, the Nigerian story of diabetes is quite scary, in our opinion. The issue should be a matter of serious concern to all stakeholders, including governments at national and sub-national levels. This is a disease that afflicts both the rich and the poor. A lifestyle-induced ailment, diabetes or sugar disease, as it is commonly known, is a silent killer, which does not spare its victims, making their lives miserable and filled with trauma.
As a health condition, diabetes is defined as a “chronic disease where the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it produces, leading to high blood glucose (sugar) levels.” Using a medical instrument known as a glucometer, the sugar level in the blood can be measured.
Normal fasting blood sugar level is about 100mg/dl (5.6mmol/l); prediabetes is 100 to 125mg/dl (5.6mmol/l to 6.9mmol/l); and diabetes is 126mg/dl (7.0 mmol/dl). However, it rises to an alarming level when the measurement exceeds 250mg/dl or 17.8 mmol/dl. At this point, the patient’s condition has become chronic, and noticeable organ damage has been initiated. Herein, according to doctors, lies the danger of diabetes.
The high glucose level in the blood compromises the large and small blood vessels at the chronic stage, leading to victims being vulnerable to heart attacks, stroke, limb amputation, blindness, kidney failure, and problems with the feet, nerves and gums. Eventually, an unfortunate victim dies, perhaps so prematurely, leaving a grieving wife/husband and children.
Major contributors to the condition include sedentary lifestyle, excessive consumption of processed food and sugary drinks, physical inactivity, geneticfactors and obesity. Painfully, managing diabetes is costly in terms of medication. Basic treatments like drugs, insulin and test strips, for instance, have become too expensive for most victims to access. The challenge of medication is escalated by the exit of major manufacturers of diabetes drugs from the country.
Moving forward at this critical point in time, the national government should, as a matter of urgency, initiate a policy that would promote local manufacturing of drugs to contend with the scourge of diabetes. It should also re-jig the nation’s healthcare system to provide basic diabetic care and training for care providers.
While we advocate massive public enlightenment on the issue through the conventional and social media, faith-based instruments, community leaders and educational institutions, we urge citizens to embrace a lifestyle of physical activities, less intake of carbohydrates and sugars, and consumption of diets rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.
We call for lifestyle changes and moderation, early detection and management, especially in cases that has to do with heredity. Access to treatment and greater awareness on the risk factors must be prioritized. The crisis of diabetes should be fought on all fronts.
