100,000 diagnosed with diabetes in 2013
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS
Published — Friday 27 December 2013
Last update 27 December 2013 2:19 am
Over 100,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes in 2013, bringing the number of sufferers between the ages of 20 and 97 to 3.5 million across the Kingdom, local media said, quoting official data.
This was a 24 percent increase compared to a 10 percent rise in 2008, said Abdulaziz Al-Humaidi, head of the Saudi Charitable Association for Diabetes.
He said adult diabetes constitutes 90 percent of all types in the Kingdom. The rising incidence is caused by lack of exercise and sports, and eating highly saturated fat and junk food. He said the reasons were not purely genetic.He said people could live comfortably with the condition by following the advice of their doctors, eating healthy food and exercising regularly. However, many people fail to manage the disease, leading to 22,000 deaths annually in the Kingdom, he said.
Diabetes kills the most people after road accidents in the Kingdom, and is the No. 1 cause of death among elderly people, he said. In addition, diabetes is a major cause of strokes, atherosclerosis, kidney failure, amputations, and blindness, he said.
Based on data released by Mohammed bin Husain Al-Amoudi, chair for diabetic foot research at King Abdulaziz University, nearly 6,000 people have their feet amputated every year in the Kingdom.
Al-Humaidi said it was important for schools to teach children to eat properly and exercise regularly. He said the association has distributed 3.5 million brochures, organized 1,100 awareness programs at schools, universities and markets, and handed out 10,000 diabetes test devices.
Abeer Al-Jiryuie, a nutrition specialist at King Saud Medical City, said parents should ensure their children learn to make healthy food choices, even when eating at fast food restaurants.
According to reports, countries spend billions every year to treat diabetics. For example, the United States spends nearly $230 billion, or $10,000 a patient a year, whereas Saudi Arabia spends $1,500 per patient, or SR6 billion annually on treating diabetics, according to a report.
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