Diabetes affecting thousands in Brunei
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Diabetes remains a leading cause of death in Brunei with a staggering 50 per cent of people unaware of having the disease and showing no symptoms.
“What is also becoming more disturbing is the fact that these non-communicable diseases [NCDs] are no longer dominated by the higher income group, but is affecting those in the middle and lower income groups as well,” the Health Minister said at the Diabetes Symposium yesterday.
Latest published statistics from 2011 reveal that diabetes is the third leading cause of death in Brunei behind cancer and cardiovascular disease, killing 116 people a year or a person every three days.
“Unfortunately, it’s only when complications develop, often presenting late with disability and irreversible damage that diagnosis is established,” Adanan Mohammad Yusof said.
He blamed the significant lack of awareness and slow uptake of preventive action for the steady rise of diabetes cases across the nation. It is estimated that 15 per cent of Bruneians suffer from diabetes.
The health minister also questioned the overall effectiveness of diabetes management services, urging healthcare professionals to give serious attention to the statistics relating to diabetic complications.
Citing a report from the Orthopaedic Department, he pointed out that 96 per cent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were done on diabetes patients in 2010.
“This unfortunate procedure would have an enormous impact on the physical and mental well-being of the patient who already has to cope with diabetes. Potentially, such amputations could be avoided if individuals at increased risk are identified and educated on its prevention,” he said.
The minister instead welcomed the initiative of effective screening to be incorporated as a routine and implemented in the clinical setting to curb the overwhelming practice of amputations.
Diabetes patients, he explained, are also placed at a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular complications, such as stroke and coronary artery disease. Renal failure is another potential complication associated with poorly controlled diabetes.
“Diabetes also represents the leading cause of blindness in the working population across the world. The situation in Brunei is no different,” Yusof said.
