JEDDAH: One of every four Saudis suffers from diabetes and 50 percent of the diabetics suffer from pain and numbness. Making this revelation based on a recent study by World Health Organization, Dr. Mick Gerard, specialist in neurology at the University Neurological Hospital in Lyon, France, said the number of diabetics in the ages between 35 and 64 in the Middle East has increased from 15.2 million in 2000 to more than 42.6 million by 2006, and much more by 2008.
“Half the number of diabetics suffer from permanent nerve damage and usually the cases are not diagnosed at the right time and in the right manner,” said Gerard who addressed the media before giving a presentation organized by Pfizer to the local medical fraternity at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The study also reveals that the rate of diabetic patients of the second of two types of diabetes in the Kingdom is “very high as it affects one of every four persons in the Kingdom and also in the GCC, said Gerard, who is additionally the head of the pain unit and palliative care resources at the General Hospital in Voiron, France. He also heads the Voironnais Pain Network, Isere, France and is a consultant for the French Health Products Safety Agency for neurology and pain medical products.
Neuropathic pain accompanying diabetes is considered among the most common and chronic symptoms of diabetes. In accordance with a recent study conducted by Pfizer Inc. in Jeddah, neuropathic pain occurs in over 25 percent of diabetics and causes different kinds of pain causing numbness and narcosis, which negatively affect the lives of patients.
Neuropathic pain is considered a serious medical problem, as patients suffer from it for a very long period of time, which in some cases causes full or partial loss of feeling in body parts, Gerard said and spoke about a new treatment approved by the American Food and Drug Association.
“This is considered to be one of the most significant discoveries in the field of neuropathic treatment as the new medicine reduces pain signals that cause chronic pain.
“This new treatment is highly effective in the treatment of central nerve pain, which is the most severe type as it is associated with spinal cord injuries,” he added.
Neuropathic pain affects thousands of patients in the Middle East, as specialists note that about 2.4 percent of the population in the region suffers from such pains. Peripheral pain usually occurs when the sugar level in the blood reaches a high limit, which in turn sends neuro-signals to different parts of the body causing burning and pain.
“Food and stress contribute 80 percent of diabetes. So the advice is don’t eat too much, keep your body light, and don’t be stressed,” Gerard added.
