Des chiffres alarmants ! – La Nouvelle République Algérie

Alarming figures!

Diabetes Health in Algeria

The number of people with diabetes has exploded worldwide, from 108 million in 1980 to 537 million currently, and is expected to reach 783 million patients by 2045. For Algeria, professor of internal medicine, expert in diabetology with the Ministry of Health and trainer in therapeutic patient education, Samia Zekri indicated that the figures are alarming.
Speaking on Channel III of the National Radio, Professor Zekri revealed that “a study carried out between 2016 and 2017 indicated a prevalence of 14.4% among people aged 18 to 69. But the International Diabetes Federation revealed a worrying progression in 2018, bringing this prevalence to 17.5%, or around 4.7 million Algerians affected.
The most common diabetes in the country is type 2 diabetes, “closely associated with obesity,” she said. Android obesity, that which is concentrated in the abdominal area, is particularly dangerous.
“When you see that your stomach is pointing, it is because the fat has already surrounded your viscera, including the liver, and at that moment, there is a state of insulin resistance.” The body produces insulin, but it becomes ineffective, eventually causing type 2 diabetes.
This observation is all the more worrying as overweight now affects all age groups. “If we do not want to further increase the number of these patients, we absolutely must fight against overweight and obesity,” warns the professor. These two scourges have become “global epidemics”. In Algeria, a society to fight obesity was created in order to detect excess weight and prevent the transition to prediabetes.
The theme of the campaign launched on the occasion of International Diabetes Day celebrated on November 14 each year, “diabetes affects all ages”, perfectly illustrates this reality.
Faced with this situation, the professor calls for a return to common sense in eating. “We must move away from modern food, that is to say processed, industrial products, and adopt the anti-inflammatory diet”, in other words the Mediterranean diet which favors vegetables, fruits, local products and home-made cooking.
According to her, the responsibility does not rest solely on families. Public authorities and manufacturers also play a crucial role in the fight against diabetes. “The Ministry of Health has established a multisectoral committee, whose members were appointed by Presidential Decree, to reduce the amount of sugar in foods.”
To conclude, the professor recalled that this disease is not inevitable, and that with national awareness and simple actions, Algeria can reverse the worrying curve of diabetes and give its population the keys to better health.
Manuel Z.