Things you should know about diabetes

Did you know that diabetes affects 9.3 per cent of the global population? That is approximately 463 million people. In Kenya, according to the Kenya National Diabetes Strategy report 2010-2015, diabetes prevalence is estimated to be 3.3 per cent.

Generally, diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is the hormone that regulates sugar in the blood. Hyperglycaemia, high blood sugar, a common effect of uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to serious damage of many-body systems and organs. In 2017, diabetes was the direct cause of four million deaths globally.