LAHORE: Diabetes on the rise in the country as its rate of spread in adults is 25 per cent urban while it is 10 per cent in rural people.
This was stated by Head of Diabetes Management Center of Services Hospital Prof Khadija Irfan in an exclusive talk with APP here on Sunday.
She lamented that every fifth person was unaware about diabetes, however, after a person fell victim to this disease he should consult a doctor for medical check-up.
Diabetes in women was spreading with a rate of two-thirds as compared to men, she added.
Prof Khadija Irfan said that in 2000 Pakistan was ranked 6th in the world with 5.2 million patients of diabetes which would become fifth in 2030 with 13.9 million diabetics.
This sharp spread of diabetes in the country needs some immediate measures and public awareness to control the disease.
She was of the views that it had been observed that the rate of spread of diabetes in women was much higher than men in the country.
She said there were two types of diabetes, one is called type-I in which children and young people often become its victims while another kind of diabetes is type-II, which is due to obesity in aged people.
Commenting on the reason of sharp spread of diabetes in women, she said that most women had no opportunity to walk and exercise and often remained inside houses due to which the rate of prevalence of diabetes in women has observed 66 per cent as compared to men.
She informed that sedentary lifestyle and obesity were the main reasons for the vast spread of diabetes. People have less opportunity to walk as footpaths have been occupied by vendors, few and small parks are not sufficient to cater to the huge rising population.
At least 30 minutes exercise daily might lead a healthy life to a diabetic, she added.