40,000 Palestinians in Gaza suffer from diabetes

PIC reported:

40,000 Palestinians in Gaza Strip suffer from diabetes, half of them are women, UNRWA said in a new report issued on the occasion of World Health Day.

The Gaza Strip is an environment where malnutrition and infectious diseases can coexist with non-communicable health conditions such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

Forced urbanization, over-crowding and the related psychosocial stress can aggravate these diseases, the report said.

According to the UNRWA health program in Gaza, in 2015, approximately 12.2 per cent of Palestinian refugees aged 40 years or more were suffering from diabetes.

In total, the UNRWA health program in Gaza reported 16,889 male and 23,118 female Palestinian refugee diabetes patients in 2015.