‘Diabetic complications higher in women than men’

AHMEDABAD: One in ten women across the world are suffering from diabetes, according to statistics by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
While the incidence of diabetes is not unknown, medical experts are of the opinion that diabetic women are more prone to complications occurring due to diabetes than men. Increasingly stressful lifestyle and periodic hormonal changes are primary reasons for increasing occurrence of diabetes among women.
Sharing more details, Dr Banshi Saboo, city based diabetologist, said, “Women undergo a number of hormonal changes.Coupled with this, diabetes creates more complications for women including infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and even osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.”
Medical practitioners say that diabetes for women in India is also associated with social stigma. Elaborating further, Dr Mayur Patel, chairman, Swasthya Diabetes Care, said, “Diabetes often catches children young and type-1 diabetic children, especially females, face greater social stigma.”
Dr Yash Patel of Swasthya Diabetes Care, said, “Right from finding a life partner to pregnancy and beyond, women face a lot of stigma.
However, we have cases of women who are happily married and have delivered perfectly healthy babies.”
Medical practitioners stress on creating more awareness about diabetes, especially among those who have trans-generational history of the disease.
To address this, even Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), is conducting screening of gestational diabetes among pregnant women within 24-28 weeks of gestation.
According to statistics of AMC’s ongoing study, an estimated 6% of women in Ahmedabad city and rural are gestational diabetics.
“Gestational diabetes puts women to a greater risk of developing diabetes at a later stage. At the same time, it puts the life of the child also in danger,” said Dr Himanshu Nayak, principal investigator, Gestational Diabetes Awareness and Screening programme of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.