<p>In Pakistan, every fourth person over the age of 20 is diabetic. The disease is on the rise, mainly because the majority of Pakistanis neither have adequate knowledge on how to prevent and control the disease nor do they have access to quality healthcare. If proper measures are not taken to control diabetes, then the disease will only escalate, becoming deadly for the people of Pakistan.</p><p>This year, the global theme of World Diabetes Day is &#39;<em>Women and Diabetes&#39;</em>. This is an important distinction as research shows the disease acts differently in men and women. Keeping this in focus, on Sunday, 19^th November 2017, The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) conducted an informative health talk on Diabetes with a special discussion on Diabetes in Pregnancy. The event was held at the Aga Khan University Auditorium and was attended by more than 200 people.</p><p>Renowned doctors and healthcare professionals of AKUH, including Prof Dr. Najmul Islam, Dr. Aisha Sheikh, Dr. Nanik Ram, and Ms. Farzana Rafique, spoke about various aspects of diabetes and its management.

The session began with a talk by Dr. Najmul Islam, Professor of Medicine and Consultant Endocrinologist, who spoke about the recent advancements in diabetes. </p><p>Dr Najmul explained the different insulin therapies and informed about &#39;glucose sensing&#39;, a major breakthrough in the management of diabetes. He also mentioned the possibilities of an artificial pancreas, which will be the next big step towards the management of Type 1 diabetes.</p><p>Dr. Aisha Sheikh, Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist, explained how gestational diabetes, or diabetes that appears during pregnancy, develops and affects pregnancy, making it more complicated. She stressed that &#39;strict follow-ups with doctors and frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose by an accurate glucometer are essential for achieving healthy pregnancy outcomes&#39;. During the session, Ms. Nida Farooq, a recent gestational diabetes patient, recounted her experience of suffering from diabetes during her pregnancy and the steps she took to manage it.</p><p>Dr. Nanik Ram, Assistant Professor, Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist, spoke about diabetic foot problems. He explained that &#39;high blood glucose levels over a long period of time can cause damage to nerve systems and blood vessels that leads to serious foot problems in people with diabetes&#39;.</p><p>Ms. Farzana Rafiq Essani, Diabetes Nurse Educator, ended the formal presentations with a talk on Insulin Counseling, and provided details on education and support that is available for people with diabetes. She mentioned that &#39;management of diabetes was entirely possible with proper medical care, good exercise and a healthy diet&#39;.</p><p>The session was very well received by the audience and there was a high level of engagement with many questions about diabetes posed to the expert medical panel.</p><p>The AKUH offers 20% off specialised laboratory packages for diabetes. For more information, click<a href="/pakistan/AboutUs/News/Pages/20-OFF-Diabetes-Screening-Packages.aspx"> here.​</a></p><p>Read more on <a href="/pakistan/diseases-and-conditions/Pages/diabetes-type-1.aspx">diabetes type 1</a> and <a href="/pakistan/diseases-and-conditions/Pages/diabetes-type-2.aspx">diabetes type 2</a>.</p>