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Have You Heard Of Diabetes?

11 May 2017
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By Dr. Rogy Masri *

It’s no wonder everyone has heard the word ‘Diabetes’ considering that the WHO reported that in 2014, 9% of people over the age of 18 would have it.

That’s almost 1 out of every 10 people you know. Maybe that’s you, maybe it’s a loved one, but we all know someone living with Diabetes.

However, NOT everyone has heard that Diabetes will be directly responsible for over 1.5 million deaths this year, and that 80% of those deaths will be in low or middle income countries like Lebanon and that most of these deaths are actually preventable.

Diabetes is a disease that is an everyday struggle for most, even when you “don’t feel like it” because you have to do the things your pancreas normally does for you. The typical diabetes patient requires medications several times a day, and sometimes they are required to check blood sugars 4 or 5 times a day and then administer a needle with lifesaving insulin in it.

How many of us have imagined what it would be like to do that? Now imagine if you didn’t have that option, imagine if your world was turned upside down and then suddenly access to these medications becomes almost impossible. How would you control your diabetes then? What would you do to prevent losing a foot to gangrene, or avoid a heart attack or kidney failure or any of the other heart wrenching complications of this disease when it’s left uncontrolled?

For many, these basic medical needs are a distant dream. Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes no longer have access to these medications, and as a result, are suffering the tragic consequences.

For many, they’re more concerned about food, shelter, safety and the wellbeing of their loved ones then they are for their own health, and so the disease takes its toll on their already stressed minds and bodies. Some desperately want help, but are too afraid to cross check-points to get it, making access to medical care nearly impossible.

At Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinics, we bare witness to the never ending stream of refugees that come desperately looking for help dealing with the damaging effects of uncontrolled diabetes. In Lebanon, MSF performed over 62,000 consultations for chronic diseases in 2015, and nearly half of those patients were diabetics.

They were offered medications, one-on-one personal health counselling, and even general health promotion encouraging a well-balanced diet, exercise and smoking cessation, as much as it is feasible for each one, because once the damage is done, you can’t un-do it, but the more you know, the better equipped you are to prevent it. The clinics provide insulin and needles for all diabetics free of charge, and regular check-ups to make sure that each person’s diabetes is well controlled to prevent complications and help make patients feel better, especially when they’re worried about more than just their health.

This world health day, talk to your family about diabetes screening and prevention… It could change their lives.

*Dr. Rogy Masri, Non Communicable Diseases specialist for Médecins Sans Frontières North of Lebanon project