KABUL (SW) – Salam Watandar’s findings from interviews with 23 women in Kabul show that they suffer from the diabetes disease due to various factors including genetic reasons, sedentary lifestyle and others.
Out of all women who spoke to Salam Watandar, 20 of them said that they inherited diabetes from their parents. Banafsha, a woman suffering from this chronic disease, said, “I have been suffering from diabetes for 12 years. I have no children because my sugar levels have made me childless. I never get pregnant. I have diabetes since I was single and it is inherited. My father, my mother, my aunt all have diabetes.”
Najiba, a mother of six children, also says that she has been diagnosed with diabetes for 11 years now. “My disease is hereditary. I have been under treatment for a long time and my diabetes is not in the same state. Most of the time, when I worry, my sugar level goes up.”
Experts say women may also get diabetes during pregnancy, which usually goes away after the birth of the baby.
Firoza, a woman who has diabetes, says that she got it during pregnancy. She adds: “Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy. When I had the operation, I realized afterwards that I had it. Most of the time I had dizziness, I was in pain. I even had heart issues and it was very weak. After that, the doctor did an examination and said ‘you have diabetes’. I avoid many foods.”
Meanwhile, Zarghona Habibi, a doctor at the diabetes control center, says that women who are suffering from this disease are referred more than men.
She said: “We have about 60 to 150 patients daily. They come from Kabul city and other provinces. We have 23,726 registered female patients and 20,730 registered male patients. This indicates that the number of female patients is more than the males.”
Rahim Gil Darwish, a doctor in the general internal medicine department, agrees that women get diabetes more than men. He also said: “Women are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than men as they have less physical activity. The symptoms of diabetes are the same in men and women; there is no difference. There are some symptoms like they become hungry and thirsty, and their movement and anxiety get more.”
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, confirmed the increase in the number of people with diabetes, stating: “Unfortunately, we had 17,499 cases in 2022, and 17,444 cases were registered in 2023, and about 14,866 patients with diabetes were registered in 2021. In 2023, 406 people have lost their lives, including men and women. For the treatment of patients with diabetes, a center has been established in the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, and a 20-bed hospital has been allocated in the provinces, including in Nangarhar.”
It is noteworthy that diabetes has various factors, among which genetic factors, obesity and inactivity are among the main factors that make most women suffer from this disease.
