UAE: Why this UAE businesswoman calls diabetes a “blessing in disguise”-News

Before being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, UAE businesswoman Nashwa Al Ruwaini was a stressful workaholic and loved sweets.

Although her unhealthy lifestyle did not affect her first pregnancy, her fasting blood glucose level reached an astonishing 195mg/dL in the second trimester of her second pregnancy in 2010.

This is a signal to the doctor that she has gestational diabetes, which is most common in the second or third trimester of pregnancy among pregnant women who did not have diabetes before pregnancy.

The diagnosis of gestational diabetes at the Diabetes Center of Imperial College London (ICLDC) in Mubadala Health was a wake-up call for Al Nuaimi, founder and CEO of Pyramedia Group, a media production and consulting company in Abu Dhabi.

“I always have bad eating habits. I skip meals and eat a good dinner before going to bed,” she said. “When I was told that I had gestational diabetes, I changed my approach because I was worried that the baby would have diabetes or be affected by my high blood sugar levels.”

After her third child, Al Ruwaini developed type 2 diabetes, but she said that following the instructions of the ICDDC clinical team regarding diabetes management helped her a lot.

“I learned that a workaholic like me, who is stressed and neglects the body’s needs for good nutrition and exercise, can easily fall into the vicious trap of diabetes,” she said.

The risk factors for gestational diabetes include overweight and obesity, lack of physical exercise, pre-diabetes, family history, polycystic ovary syndrome, and previous delivery of babies weighing more than 4 kg.

The World Health Organization estimates that gestational diabetes affects approximately 7% to 10% of all pregnancies worldwide.

For most women with gestational diabetes, diabetes will go away on its own shortly after delivery. When it does not disappear, diabetes is considered type 2 diabetes.

Even if diabetes does disappear after the baby is born, half of all women with gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes later. Their children are also at risk of childhood obesity and are six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Since the second pregnancy, Dr. Tarig Abdalla, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist at ICDC, has been helping Al Ruwaini control her diabetes.

With the help of diabetes educators and nutritionists, Dr. Abdalla said that the ICDC team was able to help Al Ruwaini reduce her blood glucose levels to the target range of 70 – 120 mg/dL to ensure a complication-free pregnancy.

“When Al Ruwaini came to us, her blood sugar level was very high, so we had to start insulin therapy on her and advise her on diet and lifestyle measures. She managed very well, and when her baby was born The size is right, which shows that she has good blood sugar control,” he said.

Please also read:

>> Why do diabetics suffer from severe Covid-19

>> United Arab Emirates: Research shows camel milk is beneficial for diabetics

Maternal and child risk

Dr. Abdalla also pointed out that if gestational diabetes is not checked during pregnancy, the risk to mothers and babies is high.

“If it is not controlled, the baby will be exposed to very high maternal glucose levels, so his or her pancreas will try to solve this problem by producing insulin. This will cause the baby to increase in size and weight, making childbirth become Difficulty, need cesarean section.

“In addition, when babies produce too much insulin, they sometimes experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) at birth. This can cause seizures and require immediate intervention in feeding or intravenous glucose solution,” he said.

Ismail Sebowo

As a professional journalist from Kampala, Uganda, Ismail is a happy father with a strong attachment to the family and noble values ​​to humans. For the past 13 years, he has been engaged in journalism in the UAE, covering the country’s parliament (FNC) and criminal activities, including the Abu Dhabi police, prosecutors and courts. He also reported on important issues in education, public health and the environment, and has a keen interest in human stories. In fulfilling his reporting duties, he served the Ugandan community in Abu Dhabi because he wanted to see his fellow citizens happy. Exercise and reading are part of his free time.