DIABETES AND RAMADAN FASTING
Fasting during Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is an obligatory duty for all healthy adult Muslims. Ramadan, a lunar month, can last for 29 or 30 days, and its timing changes with respect to seasons. Depending on the geographical location and season, the duration of the daily fast may range from a few to 20 hours. Muslims who fast during Ramadan must abstain from eating, drinking, taking oral medications, and smoking from before dawn until after sunset; there are no restrictions on food or fluid intake between sunset and dawn. The Qur’an specifically exempts people with a medical condition from the duty of fasting. Complications of fasting include dangerously low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia), excessively high blood glucose (hyperglycaemia), diabetic ketoacidosis, and dehydration & thrombosis. General Considerations It is mandatory that people have the means to monitor their blood glucose levels several times throughout the day, every day. This is especially critic...