THERE are Malaysian youths in their 20s who are unaware that they are suffering from diabetes and hypertension, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic).
The Health Minister said more than eight out of 10 cases involving people aged 18 to 29 with both conditions had yet to be detected.
“Both conditions are already occurring among young people and often go unnoticed because they usually show no symptoms in the early stages,” he said in reply to Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki (PN-Parit Buntar).
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, he said an estimated 192,464 people in this age group had diabetes, while 339,853 had hypertension. He noted that among those aged 30 to 39, an estimated 378,508 had diabetes and 938,865 had hypertension.
“More than six out of 10 diabetes cases and more than seven out of 10 hypertension cases are undiagnosed in this age group.”
In July, Dzulkefly told the Dewan Rakyat that Type 2 diabetes was being detected in Malaysians as young as 14. As such, he added that the ministry was working towards early detection, as undetected cases could eventually lead to heart disease.
Since 2022, he said the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) had screened 2,659,841 individuals under 40. Of these, 339,854 had high blood pressure, while 176,415 had high blood glucose levels and were referred for follow-up treatment, he added.
He also said 2,041,010 individuals, together with their spouses, had been screened at 4,455 private panel clinics under the PeKa B40 scheme since 2019.
The screening initiative receives RM10mil a year under the Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat, he said, but did not give a figure for next year’s allocation when asked.
Meanwhile, Dzulkefly said the nation was currently facing a pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with heart disease remaining the leading cause of death, accounting for 17,421 deaths in 2024.
“NCDs are no longer just a health issue. They are now among the biggest threats to the health and well-being of Malaysians.”
He added that the ministry was also working to encourage Malaysians to reduce their salt and sugar intake, alongside imposing a sugar tax on sweetened beverages.
“NCDs no longer recognise age, race or social standing. We must prevent earlier, detect earlier and treat earlier,” he said.
