[NYTr] Latin Amer Diabetes Congress Underway in Havana

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles


Diabetes in Latin America Discussed at International Congress

Havana, Nov 13 (acn) The epidemiology of diabetes in Latin America is 
one of the main topics of debate on Tuesday at the 13th Congress of the 
Latin American Diabetes Association taking place in this capital.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, nearly 240 million 
people around the world suffer from diabetes -30 millions from Latin
America- and some 333 million patients will have the disease  by 2025.

In Cuba, 375,000 citizens have been diagnosed as diabetics. Nearly 
300,000 suffer from the type of diabetes common in elderly people, 
while the others are mostly young insulin-dependent patients.

Cuba has implemented a national program for the prevention and 
treatment of diabetes which includes a network of clinics throughout 
the island aimed at improving the quality of life of the patients.

The scientific meeting, which is being held for the first time in Cuba, 
will run until Friday with the participation of some 1,000 national and 
foreign delegates.

President of the Organizing Committee of the event, Dr. Antonio Marquez 
Guillen, noted that healthy eating habits and physical exercise are 
crucial to prevent diabetes since obesity is a major risk factor.