Pakistan has one of the highest diabetes rates on earth — over 3 in 10 adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic, and nearly half don't know.
Symptoms people brush off
Excessive thirst, urinating often (especially at night), unexplained weight loss, blurry vision, tingling feet, wounds that heal slowly, and repeated infections. Many people have no symptoms — which is why testing matters.
Two tests settle it
- Fasting blood sugar: 126 mg/dL or above suggests diabetes (100–125 is pre-diabetes)
- HbA1c: 6.5% or above — this one shows your 3-month average and needs no fasting
Both are available at labs across Pakistan for a few hundred rupees. Anyone over 40 — or younger with a family history, obesity, or high BP — should test yearly.
Newly diagnosed? Start here
- Don't panic — well-managed diabetics live full lives
- Walk 30 minutes daily; cut sugary drinks, sweets, and refined flour (white roti/naan portioning matters more than "sugar" alone)
- Take prescribed medicine (usually metformin first) daily
- Check your feet weekly and your eyes yearly — complications are preventable when caught early
Ramadan fasting with diabetes is possible for many, but plan medicine timing with your doctor first.
Source: WHO — Diabetes. This article is general guidance, not a diagnosis.