The Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) has raised the alarm over the increase of peoples living with diabetes in Nigeria, emphasising that it is imperative for Nigerians to embrace regular health checks even when they have no symptoms.
Adenike Enikuomehin, chairman of the association in Ondo state, who disclosed this on Friday, however, said the late detection of health issues, particularly diabetes often results in avoidable complications.
During a sensitization visit to Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure, to commemorate this year’s World Diabetes Day with the theme
‘Education to Protect Tomorrow’, Enikuomehin said many are not in the know of the dangers of late detection of diabetes hence the need for intensive advocacy.
The health expert urged medical personnel to raise awareness on the growing burden of diabetes to halt mortality arising from the disease.
Enikuomehin who led her team to the school also highlighted the risk factors associated with diabetes to include family history of diabetes, overweight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, age, high blood pressure and a history of gestational diabetes.
She said: “More than 500 million people world wide have diabetes and every six seconds, somebody die because of diabetes. Majority of the people with diabetes don’t even know they have diabetes, and if they know, majority don’t come to the hospital till when the complication of diabetes had set in.
“We decided to go to girls secondary school this year because the girls are our mothers and they are our protectors. They are the ones that can ask the parents if they had taken their drugs, done exercise.
“They can even talk to their parents on the need to regularly check their blood glucose. Early in life they will know what diabetes is and be able to identify any symptoms of diabetes.
Read also: Exercise and the role it plays in promoting your personal health
“Education is power. Majority of the people that have diabetes don’t even know they have diabetes. 90 percent of people don’t even know that they have diabetes.
“Diabetes comes with symptoms of excessive urination, weight loss. But most people present with symptoms of complications. They can come with diabetic foot ulcer, painful sensation in the leg, erectile dysfunction, palpitation, heart attack, poor eyesight.
While the principal of the school, Temitope Ojoge, commended the team for the educative sessions and promised to imbibe into the student, regular exercise.
“The visit is a blessing to this school. We were ignorant of some issues. They were a lot of things we did not know about diabetes and there are a lot of things we did not know about the symptoms.
“I have been agitating before now that we should add exercise to our curriculum in the school. I have already spoken to my teachers to ensure that exercise will be part of our curriculum and every Friday we will have to do exercise.”
