The alarming increase in the incidence of diabetes is becoming a national problem in Bahrain.
Efforts are needed to educate the public about risk factors and prevention, reduce complications and provide support to children who contracted the disease, said Bahrain Diabetes Society Deputy chairperson Dr Mariam Al Hajeri.
She made the comments as he addressed a Ramadan ghabga hosted by the association, in co-operation with Bapco, to honour children recently diagnosed with diabetes.
She pointed out that Bahrain attaches big importance to the prevalence of diabetes trends which represents one of the key health issues to deal with.
The event was held at Bapco Club in Awali under the patronage of the Supreme Council for Health president, Bahrain Diabetes Society chairman Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
Dr Al Hajeri stressed the need to show patients how to cope with the disease, surmount its challenges, learn self-care skills and practise healthy lifestyles that include regular exercise and healthy nutrition to avoid complications and enhance the quality of life.
Addressing the event, Dr Shaikh Mohammed noted the role of the association since its inception in enhancing public awareness and promoting prevention from the disease.
He said that the annual event, which coincides with Ramadan, aims to provide support to children who have been diagnosed recently with diabetes and educate the public about how to live with the disease.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 is by far the more common, accounting for more than 90 per cent of diabetes cases.
The main difference between the type 1 and type 2 diabetes is that type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition that often shows up early in life, and type 2 is mainly lifestyle-related and develops over time. With type 1 diabetes, your immune system is attacking and destroying the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.