4 million Nigerians live with diabetes – Novo Nordisk

Over 4 million Nigerians are living with diabetes, with 99 percent of that figure said to be adults within the age of 20 to 79 years and less than a percent being young persons below 19 years.
Experts in the health sector are however worried that the figure may rise to about 134% by 2040 if nothing is done to check the worrisome increase.
According to a non-governmental organisation, Novo Nordisk, 4,440 children and 3.6 million Nigerian adults are currently living with the various challenges faced by patients living with diabetes.
Novo Nordisk, at a meeting with the Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology of Nigeria, SPAEN, the federal ministry of health and other key organizations, to discuss the iCARE initiative in Nigeria, noted that collaborations between the public and private sectors play a crucial role in tackling the multi-faceted problems associated with the fight to defeat diabetes.
The Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria, Sune Krogstrup, highlighted the strategic role of the iCARE initiative and its various programmes in the corporate vision of Novo Nordisk to defeat diabetes in Africa and facilitate access to affordable diabetes care for the underserved populations living with the disease.
He said Nordisk will continue to support improved access to insulin and diabetes education for patients living with diabetes, through innovative projects and partnerships with various stakeholders to drive change to defeat diabetes.
“As a leader with close to 100 years of experience in diabetes care, Novo Nordisk is committed to defeating diabetes in Africa.”
Also speaking at the event, Consultant Endocrinologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Prof. Felicia Anumah, said there is an urgent need for prevention and better disease management to lower the risk of secondary complications and early death.
She added that one in 10 people live with diabetes worldwide and another 10.6 percent of people worldwide have impaired glucose tolerance, IGT, with 6.7 million people dieing from diabetes and related complications in 2021 and one death every five seconds as a result of diabetes and its complications.
In addition, consultant endocrinologist, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Babatope Kolawole said the cost of managing diabetes continues to rise year after year until something drastic is done to mitigate the burden of diabetes, it will continue to be the trend.
He said global expenditure on diabetes “is like a double Jeopardy, numbers are increasing and the resources to manage it are decreasing”.
Similarly, the president of the Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinologists in Nigeria, SPAEN, Prof. Abiola Oduwole, said a diabetic child needs to test the blood sugar minimum of three times a day, and sometimes as much as eight times, depending on the problem. “Every child with diabetes needs to take injections three times a day.”
She added that it cost more to treat a child with diabetes because they need to take an injection of 25, 000 every month and that is a lot of money for the parent who earns 50,000 monthly.
Meanwhile, the deputy national coordinator, non-communicable disease and the seat officer, diabetes, Dr Alayo Sopekan, said there is need for national guidelines on diabetes.
He also said diabetes should be strengthened at the Primary Health Care level.
According to him, iCARE is the implementation of a new global social responsibility strategy called “defeat diabetes” by Novo Nordisk, in Africa, with the ambition to provide access to affordable diabetes care to vulnerable patients in every country and ensure that no child die from type 1 diabetes.