Diabetes warning for Ramadan issued

A warning has been issued regarding the potential health issues during the Muslim fasting time of Ramadan. Dr Vinod Patel, of George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton and who is a diabetes expert, said that there could be a very large problem in the management of diabetes medication during the 15–30 days of Ramadan this year.
Ramada, when both eating and drinking during daylight is forbidde, is at different dates each year as it is set by the Islamic lunar calendar. However, this year it starts on August 1, at a time when there can be up to 17 hours of daylight, which could prove a further difficulty.
Vinod Patel, who recently held a clinic in Nuneaton to help increase awareness of the risks at Ramada, commented “In 17 hours of fasting with certain drugs that we use, for example, the dosages have to be changed, the timings have to be changed so that our patients who are observing Ramadan don’t end up with problems such as low blood pressure and fainting .”
He added “The most important problem is hypoglycemia, that’s when the glucose levels drop too much and the patent has confusion, collapse or really extreme hunger with sweating and they need food immediately.”