The Low-Down on Diabetes

Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur consultant endocrinologist Dr Saiful Kassim shares why advancements in tailored treatment approaches are a game-changer when tackling this chronic disease in Malaysia

- TANIA JAYATILAKA

In Malaysia, one in every five adults above 18 has diabetes, a staggering statistic experts predict will increase yearly. What's more insidious about this disease is that one in every two Malaysian adults with diabetes is undiagnosed-at risk of developing = conditions such as kidney failure, heart disease, blindness and more if the disease remains untreated. Nearly 80 per cent of adults with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia are overweight, with obesity being a main driver of diabetes. "A lot of people tend to associate diabetes with high blood sugar levels, but it's so much bigger than that," says Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur consultant endocrinologist Dr Saiful Kassim, who completed his specialist training in Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Regional Centre of Excellence in Belfast, United Kingdom. "Diabetes has been redefined as a state of what I call premature cardiovascular death, or premature death from heart disease, which is associated with high blood sugar."

"What worries me most about this disease is not just the obesity of approximately 84 per cent of type 2 diabetes patients; but you have 80 per cent who are hypertensive, more than 75 per cent who have hypercholesterolemia," Dr Saiful shares. "Around 60 per cent of diabetes patients are above the age of 50, and 40 per cent are below the age of 50. I see a lot more patients now who are in their 20s. I've had patients in their teens and even one patient as young as eight years old with type 2 diabetes and very obese. Our whole dynamic of diabetes is changing, and it won't abate until we actually treat the underlying problem of obesity."