Thais Still Die Of Diabetes At High Rate

Thais still die of diabetes at high rate

BANGKOK: -- Thai people still died of diabetes at a high rate with most patients found in the central region of the country, according to an academic at the Communicable Disease Control Department.

Dr. Anchalee Siripittayakunnakit said diabetes is a chronic disease found in many countries. The cost for medical treatment is so high especially when patients develop their symptom into other illnesses such as heart disease, kidney malfunction, and blindness.

A key effective way to curb the disease is to make people realize what they should do to keep their good health.

They should be given information on the situation and the death rate of the disease so that they would be aware of how to take care of their health.

During the past decade, she said, the number of people succumbing to the diabetes had increased uninterruptedly.

Last year, 7,665 people died of the disease or the ratio of 12.3 to 100,000. Of this, 2,941 are male and 4,724 are female.

She said the cost for medical treatment of the disease in Thailand had risen annually.

Last year, 247,165 people went to hospital for diabetes treatment in public health units of the Public Health Ministry.

The number is believed to be lower than it should be because there are some other people who suffer from diabetes but opt to seek medical treatment at private clinics and hospitals.

She said the number of diabetes patients is found most in the central region and less in the Northeast and North respectively with the lowest number in the South.

--TNA 2005-12-19