Know your risks for diabetes and manage them

TODAY is World Diabetes Day, which is marked annually to raise awareness about the growing health threat posed by this disease.

Type 2 diabetes and its complications can be delayed or prevented. This requires us first to know our risks and what to do to support prevention, early diagnosis, and timely treatment. However, the statistics are not encouraging. The latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (2019) reported that 18.3%, or a staggering 3.8 million, of adults in Malaysia were living with diabetes. Even more worrying, almost half of them were unaware of their condition.

Various efforts, such as the National Health Screening Initiative and community screening programmes are ongoing to support early diagnosis and timely treatment.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Public Health is conducting another round of the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 to provide an updated prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Malaysia.

Metabolic syndrome and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, two conditions closely related to type 2 diabetes but unbeknownst to many of us, are also being studied.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that raise our risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. We may have metabolic syndrome if we have three or more of the following conditions: 1) a large waistline, which is also called abdominal obesity; 2) high blood pressure; 3) high blood sugar levels; 4) high blood triglycerides, which is a type of fat found in your blood; and 5) low HDL-cholesterol, sometimes called good cholesterol.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease is caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. It is usually seen in people who are overweight or obese and can lead to serious liver damage. Indeed, fatty liver disease is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease.

The disease is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and other health issues. Screening for fatty liver can be done by blood tests, and individuals with increased risks will require further testing.

What can we do?

> Know your risks by doing regular health screenings.

> Obtain the correct health information from reliable sources.

> Talk to your doctors about metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease, especially if you are overweight or obese.

> Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, reduce body weight (if overweight/obese), and stop smoking and alcohol drinking.

> If you are living with diabetes, you must adhere to the management plan, including follow-up appointments.

> Practice diabetes self-care, such as monitoring blood sugar levels and blood pressure at home and checking your feet regularly to ensure any wounds are not left untreated.

DR WAN KIM SUI & DR HALIZAH MAT RIFIN

Institute for Public Health

Health Ministry of Malaysia