KARACHI: The 5th International Diabetes Conference was held by Sanofi on Thursday in collaboration with Diabetic Association of Pakistan (DAP) and International Diabetics Federation (IDF) with the slogan ‘Eat less, walk more’ here in Karachi.
A group of renowned international diabetes experts from globally recognised centres of academic excellence to addressed the conference. IDF President Samad Shera stressed the need for healthier lifestyle and regular screening for diabetes, particularly for those at high risk.
IDF Senior Program Advisor Massimo Massi Benedetti said, “Today, plenty of gold medalists at the Olympics have diabetes. Fear of hypoglycemia is impacting behaviour that has negative consequences on the onset of complications. Insulin therapy should be initiated quite soon when control is not achieved through oral agents. Doctors should focus on personalized needs of the patient when considering insulin therapy.”
Croatian Society for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases President Dr Dario Rahelic on the occasion said that Cardio-Vascular Disease (CVD) complications are the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. Treating diabetes is like a 3D puzzle with many factors to consider whereby delayed treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications, he warned.
Sanofi General Manager and Managing Director Asim Jamal said building upon its century-long history in the field of Diabetes, Sanofi is committed to improving diabetes management not only through its integrated offering of medicines but also through interactive, medical educational events, scientific workshops and conferences, such as this one.
A cumulative audience of around 700 healthcare professionals attended the conference at the three venues along with a further almost 200 that connected digitally.
Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan. According to the IDF Diabetes Atlas (8th edition – 2017) there are currently more than 7.5 million people with diabetes in Pakistan.
