KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN, 16 June 2016 - The number of people with diabetes in Malaysia has now reached 1.2 million, with 650,000 new cases recorded every year and with most of them being unaware of having the chronic disease until it has spread and affecting their quality of life.

According to the Emergency Medical Specialist, Emergency Medical Department, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Dr. Ariff Arithra Abdullah, the early signs and symptoms of diabetes are usually so subtle that the individual might not even realise of having diabetes after several years.

"Many of the patients are afraid to consult a medical doctor for confirmation on their condition after being aware of the initial symptoms so that immediate preventive measures could be taken to control their sugar levels.

"Among the early signs of diabetes are fatigue, feeling tired all the time, losing body weight, always feeling hungry, feeling thirsty even with frequent water intake and frequent urination during the night," he explained when going on air at a local radio station here recently.

Added Ariff, the blood sugar level that is not monitored for a long period of time could also lead to complications resulting from diabetes such as in having effects on the major and minor blood vessels.

"Effects on the major blood vessels include a heart attack, restricted flow to the blood vessels in the legs causing total paralysis and being unable to walk, talk, eat or paralysed on one side of the body.

"Effect on the minor blood vessels would be the failure of the kidneys to function. If both kidneys fail to function, the patient would need to undergo dialysis treatment and which would reduce the rate of recovery of the diabetic patient," he said further.

He stressed on the need for diabetic patients to be disciplined in their eating patterns in order to minimise the complications that could occur such as cholesterol problems, heart attacks, kidney failure and other related health problems.

"There are several measures that could be taken to prevent the onset of diabetes, namely to avoid food with high sugar content such as highly-sweetened local cakes, chocolates, drinking sweetened tea and food that could negatively affect the patient's eating patterns."

"I am urging the public to drink plenty of mineral or plain water which could reduce and control the blood sugar level and to go for frequent physical exercises in their everyday routines," he said.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

Text/Photo: Shazleen Hashim