title: Challenges in Type 1 diabetes management in South East Asia: Descriptive situational assessment.
abstract: Treatment of type 1 diabetes is a challenging issue in South East Asia. Unlike in the developed countries, patients have to procure insulin, glucometer strips and other treatment facilities from their own pockets. Coupled with poor resources are the difficulties with diagnosis, insulin initiation, insulin storage, marital and emotional challenges. Being a disease affecting only a minority of people, it is largely ignored by the governments and policy makers. Comprehensive diagnostic, treatment and team based educational facilities are available only in the speciality diabetes centers in the private sector whereas majority of the subjects with type 1 diabetes are from a poor socio-economic background. Unlike in the Western world, being known as a diabetes patient is a social sigma and poses huge emotional burden living with the disease and getting married. Even with best of the resources, long-term treatment of type 1 diabetes still remains a huge challenge across the globe. In this review, authors from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh detail the country-specific challenges and discuss the possible solutions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetology, Jothydev's Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Jothydev
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kesavadev
authors.affiliation: Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Shaukat M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sadikot
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetology, Dia Care Clinic, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Banshi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saboo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Trivuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.affiliation: Diabetology Department, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Fatema
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jawad
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Birdem Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Kishwar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Azad
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Association of Sri Lanka, National Diabetes Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Mahendra Arunashanthi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wijesuriya
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, University of Medicine 2, Yangon, Myanmar.
authors.forename: Tint Swe
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Latt
authors.affiliation: Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalra
keywords: Challenges; South East Asia; type 1 diabetes