RAS AL KHAIMAH // Emergency rooms across Ras Al Khaimah received 2,103 patients during the first week of Ramadan.
Most of those patients have chronic diseases and complained of indigestion, reported Aletihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National.
Doctors at Obaidullah Elderly Hospital in RAK stressed the importance of healthy eating habits during the holy month to prevent complications, particularly for patients with diabetes and high blood pressure. Many of their patients who came to the accident and emergency department did so because of a change in diet and unhealthy eating.
Their department received 4,974 cases during Ramadan last year, including patients with indigestion, fever, intestinal problems, high blood pressure and diabetes complications.
Dr Mohammed Zahid, a physician at the hospital, reminded those fasting to make sure to have nutritious iftar meals. Those fasting need to increase their blood sugar levels during iftar, and the best way to do that is to eat dates, which help with digestion and quickly absorb nutrients.
Also, iftar should be eaten in two phases, with small intakes of food to avoid gastric problems, indigestion and flatulence, which in turn causes lethargy and fatigue, he said.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
