A female radio interviewer's sense of social responsibility led her to prepare a pictorial guidebook to raise awareness of the dangers of diabetes. The increasing number of diabetics in Saudi society encouraged Riyadh Radio interviewer, Ghadeer Salem Abu Sumayet to publish her 180-page book, “Know more about Diabetes”, containing pictures, graphs and statistics, which the author says will help diabetics live with the disease. According to Abu Sumayet, the book was designed to be interesting to both juniors and adults. The book not only targets patients but is also of assistance to people trying to avoid the disease. “I have tried to help readers understand what diabetes really is, how to live with it and how to avoid getting it,” she said. She added that the book describes the different types of diabetes. “It also explains in a simple way how insulin dosages should be prepared. In addition, the book gives advice on how to avoid complications that can lead to the loss of teeth or foot amputation,” Abu Sumayet added. According to Dr. Ashraf Sha'ban, Consultant of Internal Medicine and Endocrinologist at Bugshan Hospital in Jeddah, the latest health statistics indicate that one out of four people in Saudi Arabia above the age of forty suffer from diabetes. “Reports indicate that more than 25 percent of the population of Saudi Arabia over the age of forty suffer from diabetes and cases tend to be diagnosed well after the onset of the disease,” said Dr. Sha'ban. “Diabetes is a chronic disease which occurs without the patient experiencing any physical symptoms in the early stages, which is why there are usually delays in the discovery of the disease,” he said. Many complications, he added, are avoidable if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage.
