Diabetic Aisha Hamilton wears a blood sugar monitoring device and says people must be fit to fast. Vidhyaa for The National
Diabetic Aisha Hamilton wears a blood sugar monitoring device and says people must be fit to fast. Vidhyaa for The National
Diabetic Aisha Hamilton wears a blood sugar monitoring device and says people must be fit to fast. Vidhyaa for The National
Diabetic Aisha Hamilton wears a blood sugar monitoring device and says people must be fit to fast. Vidhyaa for The National

Doctors urge Muslims with chronic medical conditions not to fast


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

ABU DHABI// With Ramadan approaching, Muslims with chronic medical conditions are urged to visit doctors to ensure their medication is up to date and to not risk their health by fasting.

Diabetics in particular are being advised to be cautious during daylight, as going without food for long periods can cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate.

Dangerously low blood sugar, or hypoglycaemia, can occur in anyone but is more common in diabetics taking certain medication, and during periods of irregular eating or fasting.

Weakness, hunger, high heart rate and confusion are all symptoms, with loss of consciousness and coma possible in extreme cases.

Aisha Hamilton, a nursery manager from Scotland, has been a Muslim for about 16 years. She was diagnosed with diabetes eight years ago, but suffered a series of strokes during Ramadan while on holiday.

“I wasn’t fit to fast and that should be the message,” she said. “I was playing golf and started to feel sick. An ambulance took me to hospital and a brain scan showed I had a stroke.

“I thought I was healthy, and you never think I was at risk from a stroke or that it could be related to my blood pressure or diabetes. It is very dangerous.”

Fasting is recognised as having health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as weight loss, but is not always safe when some medical conditions are involved.

Since recovering, Ms Hamilton has a well-worked routine during Ramadan so she can still observe periods of fasting and she continually monitors her blood sugar levels.

“I have tablets to take in the morning and at night,” she said.

“Before suhoor I’ll take my morning medications and when I have dates and water in the evening I’ll take my second lot. As long as you keep it consistent, it’s OK. You have to be sensible, listen to your body and your doctor.

“Some people make themselves sick through fasting – that in itself goes against the Quran.”

Ms Hamilton wears a needle and sensor on her arm, about an inch in diameter, giving information on her average blood sugar levels during the day and when she is in danger of falling ill and should eat.

Sensors cost about Dh250 and must be replaced every two weeks. The machine to collecting her blood data costs about Dh450.

“It’s so much better than pricking your finger five times a day to get a reading on your blood,” she said.

“The information can be sent via my phone to my doctor, so he can monitor my health, too.”

Doctors said it is important to not break the fast with large meals, as there is a potential risk of post-meal hyperglycaemia. In the long term, persistent hyperglycaemia can damage eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.

Two or three smaller meals during non-fasting is a safer way to avoid a blood sugar spike.

“Fasting during Ramadan is not easy and presents serious challenges for those with diabetes,” said Dr Bahaa Demian Grace, internal medicine specialist at Burjeel Medical Centre, Al Bahia.

“Patient and doctors need to be working together to adjust diet and medication in a safe way.

“UAE doctors are co-operating with UK doctors to share findings on how to manage a Muslim population with diabetes in both countries. Recommendations are being put in place and modified based on experience and evidence.”

In 2015, the International Diabetes Federation revealed almost one in five people (19.3 per cent) of the UAE population between the ages of 20 and 79 have Type 2 diabetes.

Government health initiatives aim to cut that to 16 per cent by 2021.

“Diabetics who have been diagnosed for years know how to control their condition, but newly diagnosed patients need extra care,” said Dr Dinesh Kumar Dhanwal, consultant endocrinologist at NMC hospitals.

nwebster@thenational.ae

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most F1 world titles

7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)

7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)

5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)

4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)

4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Results

United States beat UAE by three wickets

United States beat Scotland by 35 runs

UAE v Scotland – no result

United States beat UAE by 98 runs

Scotland beat United States by four wickets

Fixtures

Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland

Admission is free

UAE SQUAD

Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan

TOUR DE FRANCE INFO

Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5