New guide on diabetes control during Ramadan launched

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society (MEMS) launched a new practical guide to diabetes management to address complications likely to be faced by diabetes patients during the fasting month.
The guide, published by Novartis Pharmaceutical in collaboration with MOH and MEMS is aimed at providing a structured framework for physicians to best advise diabetic patients on their condition during the month of Ramadan.
Consultant endocrinologist at Hospital Putrajaya Dr Masni Mohamad said that there was a need for education among patients and physicians about the management of diabetes during Ramadan to minimise complications.
She was speaking to the media during the launch of the practical guide to diabetes management at a hotel in the city.
She said Muslims who are diabetic should receive the right advice to enable them to fulfill their religious obligations.
Fasting diabetics may experience adverse outcomes associated with abstinence from eating and drinking with the most common ones being hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and dehydration.
President of MEMS Professor Dr. Nor Azmi Kamaruddin added that diabetic patients face many challenges when they abstain from eating and drinking, sometimes leading to hospitalisation due to insufficient preparations made prior to fasting.
The Epidemiology of Diabetes and Ramadan (EPIDAR) study showed a five-times increase in severe hyperglycemia and 7.5 times increase in severe hypoglycemia among Type 2 diabetes patients requiring hospitalisation during Ramadan.
Another consultant endocrinologist from Hospital Putrajaya Dr. Zanariah Hussein hoped that the new guide will reduce hospitalisation related to diabetic management during Ramadan.
"The intention is to empower physicians when they speak to their patients to prepare them for Ramadan because sometimes patients are not aware of their medical condition," she said.