By Lina Benyawa and Ngumbao Kithi

Health experts have expressed concern over the rise in the number of new diabetes cases at the Coast.

At least five new cases are reported weekly at the Coast General Hospital (CGH) in Mombasa.

This figure, which translates to 3,000 new diagnoses every year, does not include statistics drawn from other towns in the vast province.

“This is very high for just one hospital,” said Dr Esther Gitambu, a diabetes specialist at CGH.

“This institution alone records five cases every week, yet it is one of the few institutions with facilities and expertise to manage the disease with at least 3,000 cases diagnosed yearly across the province,” she said.

Gitambu disclosed that most of those diagnosed with the condition are from Mombasa and its environs.

She added that though susceptibility to the disease is inherited, most cases are spurred by unhealthy lifestyles.

Sedentary lifestyles

The condition is usually associated with consumption of refined foods and sedentary lifestyles that lead to obesity.

Public Health Director Dr Shahnaz Sharif said there is an average prevalence of between 4 to 8 per cent of the disease across the country.

Type 2 diabetes is said to be the most common and statistics show that people seek medical assistance during the late stages of the disease.

“A majority of those who die from diabetes are the poor who associate the disease with witchcraft,” she said.

Reports indicate that lack of knowledge, low level of awareness, negative attitudes and poor dietary practices have led to the upsurge of the disease in the region.

“The major cause for the high rate of disease here is that people are increasingly sedentary since they do not engage in physical exercise and increasingly consume refined food,” Dr Gitambu said.

She expressed concern that there could be cases that were not reported especially of children who die at an early age without getting treatment.

Poor eating habits

Statistics indicate that the country has over 2 million adults and 25,000 children living with diabetes.

Gitambu said that though the disease could be hereditary, it could be triggered by bad eating habits .

Diabetes occurs when the body in its natural state cannot metabolise sugars properly for lack of natural insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels.

But it can still afflict those with high levels of insulin that the body cannot ingest owing to a damaged pancreas.It is normally a lifelong condition.