Non-communicable illnesses (NCDs) are main causes of loss of life and incapacity in Malaysia.
About one in 5 grownup Malaysians reside with diabetes, one in three reside with hypertension (hypertension), two in 5 reside with excessive ldl cholesterol, and practically half are obese or overweight.
All these are main threat elements for cardiovascular (coronary heart) illness with an estimated 1.7 million Malaysians having three main threat elements, and three.4 million, two main threat elements, in accordance to the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS).
The Health Ministry (MOH) and World Health Organization (WHO) 2022 report titled Direct Health-care Cost of Noncommunicable Diseases in Malaysia, revealed that hospitalisations, medical checks, drugs and first care consultations of NCDs – significantly cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes and most cancers – prices the Malaysian financial system over RM9.65 billion yearly.
The annual prices from diabetes alone totalled about RM4.4bil, which is about 11% greater than the price of heart problems at RM3.9bil.
Meanwhile, the prices of most cancers had been round RM1.3bil.
However, the shortage of accessible knowledge signifies that the prices concerned are doubtless to be underestimated.
A earlier MOH and WHO 2020 report titled The Impact of Noncommunicable Diseases and Their Risk Factors on Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product estimated the productiveness loss in 2017 due to absenteeism, presenteeism within the office (current at work, however not working at full capability) and untimely loss of life in individuals of working age exceeded RM8.91-12.88bil.
Further, the price of incapacity and lack of wholesome life years was estimated to be RM100.79-302.37bil.
Diabetes is frequent
The 2019 NHMS reported that the prevalence of identified diabetes was 9.4%, whereas the prevalence of unknown diabetes was 8.9%.
This provides an general diabetes prevalence in 2019 of 18.3%, with about 3.9 million Malaysians dwelling with diabetes and giving Malaysia the title of the “Sweetest Nation in Asia”.
The prevalence fee had elevated from 11.2% in 2011 and 13.4% in 2015.
There had been no giant variations famous between sexes or city and rural localities.
More than 80% of these with raised blood glucose, however whose diabetes standing was unknown, had been aged 60 years and under.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that there have been 4.431 million Malaysians with diabetes in 2021, of which 2.175 million had been undiagnosed.
The IDF predicted that there’ll be 5.024 and 6.465 million Malaysian diabetics in 2030 and 2045 respectively.
Details of monitored diabetics’ profiles had been discovered within the 2020 National Diabetes Registry (NDR), with 1,698,683 sufferers enrolled within the registry and 902,991 lively diabetics on the finish of 2020.
A complete of 99.33% of sufferers had kind 2 diabetes.
Most of those had been between 55 to 59 years of age (16.59%), feminine (57.02%) and of Malay ethnicity (59.35%).
Eighty p.c of sufferers within the NDR additionally had hypertension, whereas 75.72% had dyslipidaemia (irregular fats ranges).
The issues had been nephropathy (kidney illness, 14.38%), retinopathy (eye illness, 11.52%), and ischaemic coronary heart illness (5.64%)
Only 30.7% within the NDR achieved the HbA1c goal of lower than or equal to 6.5% (a measure of excellent management).
However, this was a rise from 27.64% in 2019.
World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day, which was commemorated on Nov 14, was established in 1991 by the IDF with help from the WHO.
It was established in response to growing considerations concerning the well being and financial risk due to diabetes.
Nov 14 is the birthday of Frederick Banting, who found insulin with Charles Best.
World Diabetes Day was formally recognised by the United Nations (UN) in 2006.
The theme for this yr’s Day is “Education to protect tomorrow”.
The IDF’s suggestions to help the decision and enhance consciousness of diabetes training are:
- Take and share IDF’s free education courses and training.
- Support IDF’s name to motion to policymakers by sending a letter to your nationwide well being minister or different policymaker.
- Support IDF’s survey on entry to diabetes training amongst healthcare professionals and folks dwelling with diabetes.
- Download and show our posters, infographics and banners in your neighborhood.
- Organise an event, e.g. stroll in blue for diabetes, mild up a neighborhood landmark or prepare a neighborhood diabetes truthful, and submit your actions and pictures on-line.
- Take a photograph with the diabetes blue circle and share your diabetes story on-line.
Meeting WHO targets
The WHO adopted targets on the seventy fifth World Health Assembly (WHA) in May to strengthen and monitor member nations’ diabetes responses.
The intention of the targets is to scale back the chance of diabetes and transfer in direction of a world the place everybody identified with diabetes has entry to equitable, complete, inexpensive and high quality remedy and care.
The protection targets by 2030 are
- 80% of individuals dwelling with diabetes are identified.
- 80% of individuals with identified diabetes have good management of glycaemia.
- 80% of individuals with identified diabetes have good management of blood strain.
- 60% of individuals with diabetes of 40 years or older obtain statins.
- 100% of individuals with kind 1 diabetes have entry to inexpensive insulin and blood glucose self-monitoring.
The WHO targets had been agreed to on the WHA when Malaysia’s Health Minister turned a vice-president of WHO.
The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetics and poor management within the identified diabetics are very excessive in Malaysia.
As such, the hassle wanted to obtain the WHO targets is challenging, to say the least.
Action is urgently wanted by the MOH and civil society to scale back the dangers of diabetes.
Only time will inform whether or not the WHO targets for our nation will be met.
Dr Milton Lum is a previous president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations and the Malaysian Medical Association. For extra data, e-mail [email protected]. The views expressed don’t symbolize that of organisations that the author is related to. The data supplied is for instructional and communication functions solely, and it shouldn’t be construed as private medical recommendation. Information revealed on this article shouldn’t be supposed to change, supplant or increase a session with a well being skilled concerning the reader’s personal medical care. The Star disclaims all accountability for any losses, injury to property or private damage suffered immediately or not directly from reliance on such data.
