November 14, 2002	Thursday	Ramazan 8, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that the number of diabetic patients worldwide will increase to 300 million by 2025, says a press release.

According to an estimate, Pakistan is ranked 4th in countries having alarming number of diabetic patients.

Diabetes, a killer disease, claims millions of victims yearly. Patients who suffer from this malady are likely to be afflicted with many other diseases, the quality of life for a diabetes patient can drop tremendously in the absence of proper medical care.

People all over the globe will observe World Diabetes Day on November 14. Observance of the diabetes day began in 1991 in response to concern over the rapidly increasing incidence of diabetes internationally.

Since 1991, efforts have been made in understanding diabetes and its risk factors. Having diabetes puts a person at greater risk of heart disease. Though monitoring glucose levels is extremely important, it alone will not completely eliminate the increased risk for heart disease in people with diabetes.

The Heart Protection Study was the largest clinical study ever conducted with a cholesterol modifying medication and benefits of Zocor 40mg (Simvastatin) for several at-risk patients’ population.

With nearly 6,000 diabetes patients enrolled in the Heart Protection Study, it is the first study designed to investigate the benefits of cholesterol-lowering therapy in people with type I and type II diabetes, with or without a prior history or heart disease or high cholesterol.

Zocor is used in addition to diet to modify cholesterol levels after diet and other non-drug measures have failed to achieve target levels.

The World Diabetes Day is an opportunity to express concerns about the need to educate people worldwide about basic concepts of diabetes and health. There is a need to address the risk factors which lie behind both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.