Doha ,March, 1:A new diabetes centre, which will provide all-round and one-spot comprehensive care will be opened by May at the Hamad General Hospital, a senior official said on Monday.
“The entire second floor of the Hamad General Hospital will be dedicated for the centre, which will provide comprehensive care for people with diabetes, including services such as consultations with physicians, dieticians, smoking cessation, physical fitness experts, foot care as well as podiatrists,” HMC Medicine Department chairman Prof Abdul Badi Abou Samra said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the HMC Medical Research Centre’s second Annual Research Day 2013.
“While we are hoping to see diabetes patients and be able to attend to all their needs under one roof, we also hope to include patients in clinical research in order to improve their care,” Samra said.
Diabetes is a chronic illness marked by an increased level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is caused by partial or total lack of the insulin produced by the pancreas or a decrease in the effectiveness of the insulin it produces.
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and it plays a fundamental role in regulating the transfer of sugar from the blood to the cells to be utilised as a source of energy.
There are three main types of diabetes – Type 1 diabetes (T1DM, usually diagnosed in children and young adults); Type 2 diabetes (T2DM, the most common type of diabetes affecting between 90-95% and occurs mostly in the adult population who has genetic risk factors coupled with being overweight).
The third type is gestational diabetes (GDM), which is a form of diabetes that develops during the last part of pregnancy in a woman who did not previously have the problem.
It is marked by high blood glucose levels during pregnancy and it usually disappears after pregnancy but women with GDM and their offspring are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
The presence of diabetes is sometimes marked with specific symptoms, but not always as in Type 2 diabetes.
The symptoms are frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, unexplained weight loss, tiredness and lethargy, a tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet, blurred vision, frequent infections and slow-healing wounds.
Diabetes is recognised as a global epidemic affecting some 200mn people, according to the International Diabetes Federation, a figure which is projected to increase to 333mn by 2025.
Regions with the highest prevalence of the condition are currently found in the GCC countries including Qatar where estimates of diagnosed diabetes have ranged from 12% (all residents) to 17% (among Qatari only) with another 10% characterised as ‘pre-diabetes.’
Source:
Qatar Chronicle
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