Diabetes Mellitus: How Covid-19, high cost of insulin affect diabetics in Bauchi

By Charly Agwam – Bauchi

Although there’s no comprehensive national data yet that captures the number of deaths of diabetics resulting from Covid-19 complications in Nigeria, several studies show that there is a tremendous increase in prevalence in the epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in recent years.

In a paper titled ‘Prevalence and Risk Factors for Diabetes Mellitus in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’, Uloko et-al observed in their meta-analysis that 11.2 million Nigerians (1 out of every 17 adults) are living with the disease.

The research showed that the population previously unaffected or minimally affected by diabetes mellitus are now reporting soaring prevalence figures, which poses a real challenge to health financing by governments and non-governmental organizations.

“The modest improvement in living standards witnessed over the past few years in Nigeria has resulted in the ageing of its populace. Insulin resistance tends to worsen with advancing age. This, coupled with decreased physical activity among the aged increases the risk of type 2 diabetes,” the research reads in part.