Recent studies reveal that almost 25 to 30 percent of the gulf population is suffering from diabetes and there is probably another 25 percent of those who haven't been diagnosed yet or are likely to be diabetic in the future. As if this wasn't worrying enough, the real risk from diabetes lies in the many complications that can result from not controlling it. These include heart disease, kidney malfunction, complications in the eyes and feet, and most importantly, neuropathy. According to the American Society for Diabetics, neuropathy is a complication that affects almost half of all diabetics. A symposium held on Wednesday in Jeddah at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center focused on this complication, in particular. Organized by Pfizer and headed by Dr. Eba'a Al-Saman, an Internal Medicine and Endocrinology consultant at the hospital, the symposium worked as an announcement for Pfizer's diabetes awareness campaign “Know Your Pain and Defeat It” which starts in two weeks. Dr. Al-Saman explained that diabetic neuropathy's symptoms range from numbness, tingling and pain in the toes, fingers, feet, hands and limbs. “Some doctors mistakenly think that the patient can get along with neuropathy without taking any treatment,” said Dr. Al-Saman. “The patient should know that this pain can affect his or her ability to perform simple daily activities if left untreated. This can, in turn, lead to other complications.” The treatment is widespread and available, and helps reduce the pain and help the patient move painlessly. “Many international medical associations like the American Academy for neurology, Canadian Pain Society, European Nerve Society and the International League for Pain Study all recommend doctors to prescribe Lyrica (medically known as pregabalin) as the initial treatment for diabetics with neuropathy complications,” he explained. “This medication will reduce or even eliminate the pain, and the patient can then control the level of glucose in the blood and delay nerve damage.” Nerve damage is discernible on a diabetic patient's feet, so Dr. Al-Saman recommended all diabetics to examine their feet periodically.
