AMMAN – More than three million Jordanians are expected to be affected by diabetes in 2050, unless they adopt a healthy lifestyle, a health expert warned on Thursday.
In an interview with The Jordan Times yesterday, Ajlouni noted that the lack of exercise and eating unhealthy food leads to obesity which is a main cause of diabetes.
Around 70 per cent of all deaths in Jordan are related to diabetes, according to the health expert, while 75 per cent of hospital admissions are due to diabetes.
He also revealed that 20 people pass away daily due to diabetes-related complications, such as heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease amputations. Other complications include cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage.
Ajlouni explained that diabetes also affects sexual performance and the rate of impotence among male diabetics is around 62 per cent.
Ajlouni called on the government to maintain infrastructure so people can walk on the streets.
Diabetes is an illness which occurs as a result of problems with the production and supply of insulin in the body.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 285 million people around the world have diabetes. This total is expected to rise to 438 million within 20 years.
Each year a further seven million people develop diabetes, a chronic, life-long condition that requires careful control, according to the IDF.