Health Special Feature
It's one of the most major public health concerns in the country, but how much do you actually know about it? We take a closer look at the insidious disease plaguing millions of Malaysians and its links to other complications and risks, including premature death
One of the greatest health crises facing our nation, aside from coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer, is the quieter and often overlooked chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) known as diabetes. Malaysians are generally aware of what the disease entails i.e. higher than normal blood sugar/glucose levels, but how many are actually affected by the condition? The statistics are sobering.
In fact, one in five adults or about 3.9 million people over the age of 18 in Malaysia have been diagnosed with diabetes. According to the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) by the Ministry of Health (MoH), the prevalence rate of diabetes among adults aged 18 years and above had increased to 18.3 per cent in 2019, versus 13.4 per cent in 2015.
To say that it is a silent killer would be a sore understatement, especially when the number of people being diagnosed continues to rise. What is even more staggering is that 49 per cent of people with diabetes had never been examined or diagnosed with chronic disease. This means that for each one diagnosed, many more in Malaysia go undiagnosed.
While facts and figures may not spur an urgency, perhaps a closer look at the disease and its host of critical complications that can impair a person’s quality of life if left uncontrolled will.