KARACHI: Routine mental health screenings and assessment tools can improve diabetes outcomes, evidence-based-treatment, andqualityoflife,suggestedexperts at an event held on Saturday at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The Annual Diabetes Symposium was organised by the Diabetes Clinical Ward 7 Medical Unit of JPMC in connection with World Diabetes Day.

During the programme, a panel of experts including endocrinologists, diabetologists, dermatologists, nephrologists discussed the untapped aspects of diabetes care,essential for students, general physicians and medical practitioners.

In his speech, acting Vice Chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) and JPMC Executive Director Prof Shahid Rasul expressed concern over the worrisome figures of diabetes prevalence that currently affected 33 million people in Pakistan that had the third-highest diabetes prevalence in the world.

The keynote speech on the correlation between diabetes and the pandemic was delivered by Prof Syed Masroor Ahmed, dean of Medicine JSMU. He explained that excessive body fat and obesity increased mortality risk in Covid-19 patients.

`Increase in diabetes prevalenceis a major health and economic burden, and policy makers should make it a top priority on their political agenda,` he said. Dr Qaiser Iqbal of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital said improved lifestyle, metabolism, and management were the keys to diabetes control.

`Depression, diabetic distress and the psycho-social aspects of diabetes often go unrecognised and unaddressed. The screening rate remains low, due to lack of training of healthcare providers, stressed Dr Shabnam Naveed.

She also pointed out that healthcare practices lacked mental health assessment tools and that healthcare protocols must be defined for evaluating somatic andcognitive symptoms of depression in diabetic patients.

During the second-panel discussion focusing on complications and co-morbidities of diabetes, Dr Urooj Lal Rehman spoke about gestational diabetes and management whereas Prof Khalid Sher shed light on diabetes and dementia. Dr Shafigur Rehman reflected on the impact of diabetes on bone health through a detailed presentation.

The symposium was followed by a question and answer session by a panel of experts including Prof Zaman Sheikh from Sir Syed Hospital, Prof Najm-ul-Islam from Aga Khan University Hospital, Prof Haleema Yasmeen and Prof Khadija from JPMC.