CUHK
News Centre

The Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes & Obesity of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today announces the official opening of the Yao Chung Kit Diabetes Assessment Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital and establishment of the Lioa Wun Yuk Diabetes Memorial Research Fund, made possible through a generous donation by the Yao Yiu Sai Education and Charitable Memorial Fund.

This pledge of 28 million dollars enables the Centre to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based, diabetes risk assessment programme, first introduced by the CUHK Diabetes Care and Research Team in 1995. The assessment programme allows doctors and people with diabetes to make more informed decisions, and its ability to predict major complications is well recognized by the large number of reports in leading medical journals.

‘Last week, two patients in their early 60’s were admitted to our hospital, one with heart failure due to anemia and the other, kidney failure due to low blood glucose. The first gentleman has been attending a medical clinic once every 3 to 4 months but his blood hemoglobin has not been checked since first tested 5 years ago. Low blood hemoglobin results in insufficient oxygen supply to key organs such as the heart and brain, leading to stroke and heart failure. More importantly, there are many causes for anemia in people with diabetes including cancers which account for 30% of deaths in diabetic patients,’ explained Professor Juliana Chan, Director, Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity.

‘The second lady was discharged from the hospital to the community clinic two years ago but defaulted follow up and purchased oral tablets from the pharmacy. She silently developed kidney failure with drug overdosage resulting in hypoglycemic pre-coma,’ continued Professor Chan.

Based on data from more than 7,000 patients enrolled into the Hong Kong Diabetes Registry established by CUHK, who have been observed for 6 years on average, silent conditions including blood pressure, blood lipid and glucose, kidney function, blood hemoglobin, blood count, urine protein, eye and foot complications, use and non-use of various medications, body weight, waist circumference and even erectile dysfunction have been found to predict death, kidney failure, stroke, heart disease and cancers.

‘The growing number of people with diabetes who need regular assessments simply overwhelms the public system which is already providing care to over 200,000 people with diabetes. At our hospital, the waiting list for this annual assessment ranges from 18 to 24 months, while that for our specialist diabetes clinic, averages 24 months. Many of these patients deteriorate silently and present with acute emergencies and major disabilities. By alerting patients and their doctors early, these risk assessment programs can be potentially life-saving,’ said Professor Peter Tong, Director, Yao Chung Kit Diabetes Assessment Centre.’

‘The two aforementioned patients are merely tips of the iceberg. Although highly treatable and preventable, the silent nature of diabetes and associated risk factors often lead to unawareness and complacency. An alternative solution is urgently needed to solve this impasse in our fight against chronic diseases such as diabetes,’ continued Professor Tong.

One of the Centre’s core objectives is to translate evidence into clinical practice to provide immediate benefits to patients. The Yao Yiu Sai Education and Charitable Memorial Fund has made it possible to support a team of experienced doctors and nurses to provide these high quality clinical assessments and laboratory services at cost. ‘By mobilizing resources from all sectors in the community, we hope the Centre can make this much needed risk stratification service more accessible, affordable and sustainable,’ concluded Professor Juliana Chan.

The 2000-square feet Centre is located on the 4th floor, Block B, Staff Quarter of the Prince of Wales Hospital and opens 5 days a week. People with diabetes especially those on HA waiting list can refer themselves direct to the Centre. Family doctors are also encouraged to refer their patients to the Centre for periodic assessments and reinforcement on self management to ensure attainment of multiple treatment targets.

For further details, please call the Centre on 2647-8806.