Eyes on Diabetes

Keep Your Eyes on Your Diabetes

11/13/2016

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Diabetes effects more than 7,028,000* people and kills
approximately 86,000 people in Pakistan annually. Worldwide, Diabetes is
now a leading cause of morbidity and mortality**. It is also associated with
high rates of hospitalization, blindness, renal failure and non-traumatic
amputation. Many cases go unreported due to the lack of awareness and many that
are aware of the disease do not know how to manage it properly.To mark World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated on a global
scale, The Aga Khan University Hospital conducted a health awareness session on
13 November 2016. The event was held at the Aga Khan University Auditorium and
was attended by more than 700 people.Various diabetes doctors, nurses and dieticians from The Aga
Khan University Hospital talked about difference aspects of managing and living
with diabetes. The session began with Dr Qamar Masood, Associate Professor,
Endocrinology, who explained the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and how
the parts of the body that are effected by the disease; specially eyes, kidneys
and feet.He mentioned that diabetic retinopathy affects blood vessels
in light-sensitive tissue called the retina that lines the back of the eye. It
is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and the
leading cause of vision impairment. He also share that diabetic kidney disease
is a complication and diabetes causes the kidneys to leak abnormal amounts of
protein from the blood into the urine.Dr Qamar guided the people to follow code A-B-C, where
'A' stands for 'A1C TEST' which should be taken every 2- 3 months and gauges
how well the diabetes is being managed; 'B' which stands for controlling 'BLOOD
pressure'; and 'C' which stands for managing 'CHOLESTROL'.70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed.
Hence, early diagnosis is important because its easier to control the disease
at earlier stages. Diabetic should start the medicine early and adopt a healthy
lifestyle to prevent progression to advanced stages.Ms Moti Khan, Senior Clinical Dietician, talked about
healthy eating options for diabetics and mentioned many food items that
adversely effect blood sugars like excess salt, refined wheat, processed food,
packaged masalas, boxed juices, excess oils, excess fats like butter, diet
drinks and diet meals. She stressed on the need for a balanced diet and
exercise. Diabetics should exercise at least 6 days a week even if they walk
briskly for as little as 15 minutes.Diabetes is a chronic disease and living with it can be
challenging. It has to be managed on a daily basis and most people are just
dependent on the medicine they are taking, not realizing that there are many
lifestyle changes they should also be making to compliment the medicines. One
of our Diabetes Nurse Coordinators, Farzana Rafique shared information about
Continuous Glucose Monitoring which is a small wearable device that tracks a
diabetic's glucose throughout the day and night, identifying the highs and
lows. At the end of 6 days, a doctor can easily track the trends and manage the
diet and medications accordingly. She also talked about the techniques on injecting insulin
and managing medicines and concluded with how important it is to take care of
ones feet if you are diabetic. Diabetes can cause changes in the skin of the
foot. At times the foot may become very dry. The problem is that the nerves
that control the oil and moisture in the foot no longer work. She said after
bathing, diabetics should dry their feet and seal in the remaining moisture
with a thin coat of plain petroleum jelly or an unscented cream. She also
mentioned that it is important for diabetics to constantly monitor their feet
to check for scrapes or cuts. As a preventative measure, diabetics should wear
proper shoes with socks. The session was very well received by the audience, there
was a high level of engagement and questions posed to the medical panel. You can view the pictures from the event <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/AKUHPakistan/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1016341468472513">here</a>.As part of World Diabetes Day, The AKUH is also offering specialized laboratory packages for diabestes tests where you can avail 20% discount. View <a href="/pakistan/medical-and-diagnostics/clinical-labs/Pages/current-offers.aspx">here</a>.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>. 

* International Diabetes Federation (<a href="http://www.idf.org/membership/mena/pakistan">http://www.idf.org/membership/mena/pakistan</a>)

** American Diabetes Association; Diabetes 1996:
Vital Statistics. Cowic CC, Eberhardt MS Eds. Alexandria, VA. American Diabetes
Association 1996.</div>

Location	Phone Number
Main Hospital Contact Center (8 am – 12 midnight)	+92 21 111 911 911
Main Hospital - Clinic and Radiology Appointments (8 am – 12 midnight)	+92 21 111 911 911
Main Campus 24/7 Emergency, Stadium Road	+92 21 3486 1090
Clifton Medical Services: Consulting Clinics and 24/7 Urgent Care	+92 21 111 911 911
Main Hospital Clinical Laboratory	+92 21 111 911 911
Main Hospital Blood Bank	+92 21 3486 1558
Main Hospital Drug and Poison Information	+92 21 3486 1504 +92 21 3486 1506
Main Hospital Vaccination Services	+92 21 3486 1573 +92 21 3486 1495
Patient Welfare Department	+92 21 3486 9583 +92 21 3486 9584 +92 21 3486 9585
The Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre (AKMCCC), Hyderabad	+92 22 430 0777 - 8301
Aga Khan Hospital for Women Garden	+92 21 3616 7400 - 7500
The Aga Khan Hospital for Women Karimabad	+92 21 3616 7600
The Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children, Kharadar	+92 21 3616 7800
Main Hospital New Private Wing Main Reception	+92 21 3486 8040 +92 21 3486 8041
Main Hospital New Private Wing Patient Admission and Billing Office	+92 21 3486 8026 +92 21 3486 8027
Main Hospital New Private Wing Concierge Services	+92 21 3486 8025
Patient Referral Services (9 am to 11 pm)	+92 21 3486 3100

Keep Your Eyes on Your Diabetes

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