8.5 percent of all deaths in Guyana linked to diabetes

8.5 percent of all deaths in Guyana linked to diabetes – Health Minister

Apr 13, 2011 News

A high percent of TB patients are also diabetics in the population, according to Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
In fact, he had revealed that a recent study has shown that persons living with diabetes have a greater than 80 percent chance of dying prematurely. He also pointed out that diabetes is a contributing factor in other illnesses, such as heart diseases, hypertension, stroke, eye diseases, kidney diseases and erectile dysfunction among others.
Diabetes, he said, is either the number three or four cause of death in Guyana as it changes place with cancer from year to year and accounts for an average of about 425 deaths each year, or about six deaths for every 10,000 persons in Guyana.
About 8.5 percent of all deaths in Guyana are because of diabetes, he added.
In 2008, diabetes ranked as the leading cause of death in Region Nine, number two in Region Five, number three in Regions Three and Six, number four in Regions Four and Seven, number five in Regions Two and 10 and number seven in Region One.
While diabetes affects people of all ages, it is also a disease that becomes more prevalent with the aging process, the Minister asserted. According to him, in the age group 15 to 44 years in Guyana, diabetes ranks as the number nine most important cause of illness. But in the age group above 45 years old, diabetes ranks as the number two.
He added that one of the most important causes of heart diseases is diabetes and this message is being carried to the people by the Ministry of Health over the next three months and beyond.
Many of the facts of the disease that obtain locally are also very consistent with findings in other countries, Minister Ramsammy outlined. He observed too that it is now accepted that diabetics have a higher risk for tuberculosis than the general population. As a result, he said that health workers are, therefore, “urged to be vigilant and consider TB in the clinical management of diabetics.” This move, he said, represents a more expanded programme as part of the efforts to fight against diabetes.
Accordingly, the Ministry is working with teams of health care providers that have been trained in preventing and managing foot problems in diabetics, to train others around the country.
Dr. Ramsammy pointed out that the Ministry also has plans to pilot a new clinical intervention in Region Six in June. This programme, he said, is being introduced on the basis that depression is a major complication among persons with diabetes.
In the meantime ‘community face-to-face’ meetings are a part of the Ministry’s campaign to make people more aware, knowledgeable and motivated to take action to prevent diabetes. Awareness, he said, is geared at sensitising people living with diabetes to avoid major diabetes-related complications.
“The campaign being carried out by the Ministry seeks to ensure people become aware of how serious the problem is. Besides the large number of persons living with diabetes, the Ministry of Health is endeavouring to make people aware of how deadly and dangerous diabetes is.”
In addition to the face-to-face campaign, the Ministry is ensuring that every patient being treated in public health clinics is provided with a DVD that seeks to educate them and make them ‘expert’ patients. This DVD is a 42-minute documentary that provides a comprehensive education and awareness package for patients and their families, according to Minister Ramsammy. The move, he said, presents information through an animated model and tells the story of diabetes in a very simple way.

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8.5 percent of all deaths in Guyana linked to diabetes – Health Minister

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