KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 ― Diabetes remains one of the major non-communicable diseases in Malaysia, affecting 3.9 million of the population with a prevalence rate of 18.3 per cent.Citing findings from the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey, consultant endocrinologist Dr Foo Siew Hui said the worrying factor was a surge in the prediabetes rate in Malaysia.”
Dr Foo noted that it was worrying to see a significant portion of young Malaysians living with diabetes. Breaking down the diabetes prevalence in Malaysia, Dr Foo said the risk distribution is almost equal between people living in rural and urban areas. “The prevalence of heart diseases among people living with diabetes has increased from 5.4 per cent in 2013 to 5.9 per cent in 2019, while the occurrence of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases among diabetics rose from 1.3 per cent to 1.8 per cent in the same period.