Endocrinologist recommends right foods to avoid diabetes

RAINBOW Specialist Medical Centre Lekki, Lagos, has advised Nigerians to eat vegetable-based foods and engage in physical exercise to avoid diabetes.

Addressing Journalists, during a press conference, in Lagos, a consultant endocrinologist and Medical Director of Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Dr. Afokoghene Rita Isiavwe, said those who have diabetes are expected to eat right- avoid eating food containing carbohydrate such as rice, yam, garri among others, but to eat more vegetables to avoid diabetes.

However, Isiavwe noted that a diabetic foot ulcer is a pivotal event in the life of a person with diabetes and a marker of serious disease and co-morbidities.

She added that without early presentation and optimal intervention, the wounds would rapidly deteriorate, leading to amputation of the affected limb.

Isiavwe said: “It has been estimated that every 20 seconds a lower limb is amputated due to complications of diabetes, early presentation and compliance to treatment are key to successful treatment”.

Isiavwe informed that diabetes foot problem, prevention is better than treating it, she explained that a person who is affected by foot diabetes is expected to wear shoe that is not tight to the food to avoid injury in the foot.

She continued: “Those who are affected by diabetes should not buy shoes in the morning but late afternoon the reason, in the morning when you wake up your legs would be slim but by the time you walk around in the afternoon you have swollen legs, so it is better to buy the shoes when you have swollen legs to know your size of shoes.

Isiavwe narrated that Diabetes Podiatry Initiative Nigeria is a project supported by Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, World Diabetes Foundation, Podiatry Institute USA.

She said Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre in collaboration with the Training Faculty Members of the Podiatry Institute, Decatur, Georgia, USA, has organised series of training programmes and workshop for different hospitals in Lagos, on management of diabetes she added that another training programme is coming up to benefit hospitals in Lagos, very soon. “The first Podiatry and diabetes foot care workshop’, with the theme “Preventing Diabetes Foot Ulcers and Amputation” was held last year from Monday 17th March to Friday 21st March 2014 in Lagos.

It was a first of its kind and an innovative programme in the field of diabetes education research therapeutics and service updates. It addressed the podiatry service needs in Nigeria and in particular the problem of diabetes foot disease and diabetes related amputations in Nigerian”. “This years’ workshop is a continuation from last years, and it is in collaboration with the World Diabetes Foundation”.

The objective is to improve management and prevention of diabetes foot complications in some clinics in Lagos and raising awareness of proper foot care for patients in Lagos.

This is by building local capacity on diabetes foot care through regular workshops and seminars”. The next annual five-day workshop comes up from 17th August to 21st August 2015, and the theme is “Building Local Capacity in Diabetes Foot Care”.