Most S'pore diabetics don't take care at home

By Seto Nu-wen

SEVENTEEN years ago, when she was pregnant with her first child, the signs of diabetes were already there.

During a medical check-up, the doctor had warned Madam Minah Yahpa that her blood sugar level was higher than average.

She did not heed his advice.

While she was expecting, she gave in to her craving for cakes and fruits.

Now, she regrets it.

The 50-year-old cleaner has high blood pressure, extremely high blood sugar content, blurred vision in her right eye and numb toes and fingers - all complications from diabetes.

She is not alone.

Four out of five diabetic Singaporeans do not monitor their blood sugar level at home.

This was found in a 1998 survey conducted for the Diabetic Society of Singapore. And, according to experts, the figures still hold.

After her first pregnancy, Madam Minah's blood sugar returned to normal.

But it rose again when she became pregnant with her second child in 1985.

'Whenever I was pregnant, I craved sweet foods. So I got my husband to buy a lot of durian and mangosteens to eat,' she told The New Paper in Malay.

'The doctor told me to watch my diet and cut down on sugar, salt, fried food and food with coconut milk.

'But I enjoy eating. For example, I'm supposed to eat only one kueh lapis, but I'll buy three for $1 and eat all three.'

CHEAT DURING CHECK-UPS

Worse still, she would 'cheat' during her medical check-ups.

'I would skip meals or avoid sugar and salt for the three days before I went for the check-up. My blood sugar level would seem normal,' she said.

'Then after the check-up, I'd go back to my old eating habits. I thought I was fooling the doctor, but I was only fooling myself.'

Last weekend, her condition worsened.

'I was helping out with a relative's wedding and for three days in a row, I ate a lot of rich, fatty food - nasi briyani, rendang and curries.'

On Tuesday, she went to Alexandria Hospital complaining of dizziness, blurry vision and numbness in her toes and fingers.

She was immediately admitted with an extremely high blood sugar content.

Ironically, Madam Minah, of all people, should have known the risks.

Her late mother also had diabetes and had to have her left leg, which turned gangrenous, amputated below the knee.

'When I was young and looking after her, I'd see her struggle in her wheelchair and I was afraid it might happen to me,' she said.

'But after she died of old age and I got married, all that got forgotten.'

Madam Minah's road to recovery will be a long one.

'If she had carried on with her old lifestyle, she might have ended up blind or have had to undergo dialysis.'

Dr Sum Chee Fang, senior consultant endocrinologist and director of Alexandra Hospital's Diabetes Centre, said: 'With treatment and careful control of her diet, she can try to reduce her rate of deterioration. So instead of needing dialysis in say, two years, she may postpone it for another 15 years or not need it all.'

Exercise, less sugar, more vegetables - these can help her.

'Unfortunately, diabetes is also a silent killer,' said Dr Sum. 'There is no constant pain to remind patients of their condition until it is too late.'

And too late may mean many serious consequences.

'In very severe cases, extremely high blood sugar levels will result in a coma or fits,' said Dr Sum.

A blood sugar screening is now recommended if you are over 40.

'But I'd also recommend it for those who have a close relative with diabetes, are obese, have high blood pressure, a history of diabetes during pregnancy or existing coronary heart disease,' said Dr Sum.

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FASTEST GROWING DISEASE

FAMILY doctors will teach diabetics for free how to cope with the disease.

It's part of the Diabetes Partnership Programme to be launched by the Diabetic Society of Singapore and the National Healthcare Group this Saturday.

The programme will first be launched in the Hong Kah area and family doctors can enrol by calling 6471-8999.

Diabetes is on the rise in Singapore. From less than 5 per cent in the '80s, the figure has doubled to 10 per cent, according to the last National Health Survey in 1998.

Even children are not spared. KK Women's and Children's Hospital sees 200 new cases of grossly obese children every year. Of these, a quarter are at risk for diabetes.

Diabetes has been singled out as the fastest growing disease in the world, especially in developed countries with a rich, high-fat diet.

It affects 6.2 per cent of the population in the US and is its fifth deadliest disease, according to figures from the American Diabetes Association.

It is the seventh deadliest disease in Australia, with one person diagnosed every 10 minutes, says the Diabetes Australia website.