Diabetes education vital, says doctor

 PEOPLE must be educated about the complications of diabetes, a doctor said.

Papua New Guinea Defence Force medical centre director Dr Peter Kaminiel told a medical education programme last Saturday that people must exercise a lot and control what they eat.

The programme was hosted by the Pacific International Hospital to gather new insight into the lifestyle disease.

“It is important that they exercise a lot and control their diets. These are the two most important areas that they must be careful about,” Dr Peter Kaminiel said.

He said people often took for granted what they ate and were surprised when they contracted the disease.

“Footwear is another important area that we must stress on. If they do not protect their feet, they are more likely to develop sores that will eventually become ulcers which we will have no choice but to amputate.”

Ophthalmologist and director of Pacific International Hospital Dr Amyna Sultan advised doctors not to overlook the state of their patients’ eyes.

“Make sure your patients undergo their annual retinopathy (eye) check as the blood samples there can determine if they have diabetes or not. Early detection is vital as it will save a limb from being amputated,” she said.

“Many a times we concentrate on the limbs but remember, blood samples from the eye display early stages of malfunctions in the body’s sugar level.”