About five million Nigerians are suffering from diabetes, the President of the Endocrine and Metabolism Society of Nigeria (EMSON), Professor Feyi Adegoke, has disclosed.
Adegoke spoke through EMSON’s Secretary
General, Dr Olufemi Fasanmade, at the opening of the 38th Scientific
Conference and Annual General Meeting of the society on Wednesday in
Calabar, the Cross River State capital, and expressed fears that the
figure could rise to 10 million if the situation was not properly
managed.
Adegoke identified huge consumption of
alcohol, soft drinks, and lack of physical activities as hugely
responsible for the increasing cases of diabetes in the country.
She said members of the society were
meeting to deliberate on scientific and medical issues associated with
diabetes and metabolism, particularly in Nigeria.
She said the theme of the conference,
“Endocrinology Practice in a Resource-constrained Setting”, was apt for
discussion as complications of Endocrine conditions continue to be the
issue as hospital resources continue to dwindle.
The EMSON president said members of the
society were looking forward to the delivery by the wealth of
presentations, focusing on the challenges being faced in the local
setting and how they could be overcome.
At the opening ceremony, the state
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, said over 97,000 people are
living with diabetes in the state.
He said the disease was on the increase in the state, especially in the rural communities where only few cases were recorded.
However, the commissioner expressed the hope that EMSON experts would work towards finding better solutions to diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders.
However, the commissioner expressed the hope that EMSON experts would work towards finding better solutions to diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of
Calabar, Professor Zana Akpagu, who declared the conference open,
expressed his appreciation to the society for working with the
university to achieve the aims and objectives of its medical school and
related faculties.
He said the management of the university would continue to encourage intellectual activities and exchange of ideas propagated by the society.
He said the management of the university would continue to encourage intellectual activities and exchange of ideas propagated by the society.
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