Half a million Cubans have diabetes

At least 500,000 Cubans, or one out of every 22, have diabetes, a Cuban health official said Thursday.

There could be more Cubans who have the disease without knowing their conditions, said Neraldo Orlandi Gonzalez, director of the Diabetes Care Center of the National Institute of Endocrinology.

Official research estimated that another 12 percent of the population is pre-diabetic, which means they have the potential risk of becoming diabetic in the coming years if they do not receive proper guidance and assistance, he said.

Cuba has a comprehensive, polyclinics-based care system for diabetes, and almost every province has at least a diabetes care center, he said, adding that diabetes is not only Cuba's challenge, but also a "world epidemic."

Education is the best therapy, and patients should be told to control their sugar consumption, the official said.

Source: Xinhua