Youths urged to get screened for diabetes to avoid premature death
Premature death refers to passing away before the age of 75, which is the people's average life expectancy in this country.
This follows the revelation by the Health Ministry yesterday that 84 per cent of young people aged 18 to 29 are unaware that they have diabetes.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia medical faculty public health specialist Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said it is time for diabetes screening to begin at a younger age, especially for those at high risk.
"I support screening tests being conducted at a young age, as many are unaware that they already have diabetes mellitus (DM) or prediabetes.
"This recommendation is also directed at those who are at high risk, such as individuals with symptoms, a family history of diabetes, those who are overweight or have central obesity (abdominal obesity)," she said.
Sharifa said early screening serves as a crucial "first warning" to alert individuals to seek treatment promptly and make lifestyle changes.
"This will help improve self-care management, such as practicing healthy eating, quitting smoking and striving to achieve an ideal body weight.
"Subsequently, it can help prevent chronic complications such as the need for dialysis," she said.
She cited a study from Cambridge University which stated that individuals with diabetes generally die 14 years earlier than those without the disease.
"Early screenings is also the most cost-effective and affordable intervention compared to providing treatment when it's already too late," she added.
Diabetes screening costs are not too high, said Sharifa, and can be carried out widely, unlike specific tests for the kidneys, eyes and liver, which are more expensive.
"In the United States, public health screening has now been lowered to age 35.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommended that screening begin at the age of 30, but it can be done at any time for those at high risk," she said.
The Health Ministry revealed yesterday that 15.6 per cent of adults in Malaysia, or one in every six people, have diabetes, with two out of every five of them unaware that they have the disease.
Findings from the 2023 National Health and Morbidity survey also revealed that individuals with diabetes are at high risk of developing complications such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, retinopathy, kidney disease, diabetic foot and nerve damage.
These complications reduce life quality when organ damage occurs, such as blindness, amputation, heart failure, stroke with full dependency, impotence and end-stage kidney damage requiring renal replacement therapy.
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