RIYADH, 20 April 2006 — A seminar on “Diabetic Patient Empowerment,” which ended here yesterday, concluded with a call for creating awareness among diabetic patients of the need for self-management of the disease.
Khetam Al-Marshad, health and diabetes educator at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, told the delegates that it is an important duty of the medics and paramedics to empower diabetics by educating them to adapt their lifestyles to cope with the disease.
She stressed that the goal of diabetes education is to help the patient reach self-management of the malady. “Complications from diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, nerve damage, limb amputations and even death,” she said.
Currently diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States. In the Kingdom, diabetes is a common disorder. Recently published surveys indicate that nearly one Saudi in five beyond the age of 30 has diabetes mellitus. It is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin or properly use the insulin necessary for the body to absorb glucose (sugar). The glucose then accumulates in the bloodstream until levels get dangerously high.
Diabetes is present in epidemic proportions throughout the Kingdom with exceedingly high rates concentrated in urban areas.
“The entire medical community has an obligation and a binding duty toward the care of diabetic patients, for, the clinical burden of diabetes is too large to be shouldered by diabetologists alone. By its very nature, diabetes is a multisystem disease with wide-ranging complications that span nearly all regions of the body,” Khetam said.
Therefore, she said, diabetes must be taken seriously by all. “Modern treatment of diabetes does not necessarily lie in the provision of pancreatic transplant services or availability of sophisticated insulin devices and pumps. Patient education, not technology, remains the heart and soul of diabetes care.”
She added that education of the patient and his/her family, whether in relation to diet, exercise and foot care, forms the best and most effective way to treat diabetes and prevent long-term complications.
Khetam advised patients to adhere to the advice given by their doctors. “Regular glucose, kidney, cholesterol, retina tests, daily exercises, foot care and controlled diet should be part of a diabetic’s life,” she insisted, pointing out that timely diagnosis will prevent serious complications that arise due to negligence.
Khetam said most of the eye patients who visit KKESH are diabetic patients. Because of the increasing demand, she said, the hospital hopes to open a special center for diabetics.
During the final session, Dr. Muhammad Al-Derwish from the King Abdul Aziz University, spoke on the “Assessment of the Diabetic Foot,” while Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Dukhail dwelt on the traditional beliefs, affinities and social norms in spreading diabetes in Saudi society.
