2011 NHMS Discovers Three Million Malaysians With Diabetes

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- The outcome of the 2011 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) shows that about three million Malaysians are suffering from diabetes. Health Director-General Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman described the finding as worrying compared with about 1.5 million people when the survey was last conducted in 2006. "What is more worrying is that about two million adults with high level of sugar content in their blood have not been examined by doctors," he said on a statement on Thursday. This, he said, indicated that there were still many people who did not go for health screening on a regular and periodic basis. Majority of people with diabetes have no symptoms, sometimes after seven or 10 years of getting the disease, he added. Hence, Dr Hasan urged Malaysians, aged 30 and above, to go for annual health screening for non-communicable disease (NCD). He said those with risk factors, like history of family members suffering from diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, with inactive life style and women with history of diabetes during pregnancy should go for the health screening as early as when they were 20 years old. "Go for the health screening regularly to avoid getting diseases which are difficult to control," he added. -- BERNAMA Malaysia