Advising fasting patients with diabetes during Ramadan

The first weekend of April sees the start of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic year. ^1,2 During this period fasting is practised from sunrise to sunset, and this includes abstinence from both food and fluids. Usually two meals are consumed a day, one pre-dawn (Suhoor or Suhur) and one post-sunset (Iftar).

The annual timing of Ramadan (determined by the lunar calendar) advances by 10 to 11 days per (solar) calendar year and currently falls in the summer months in the northern hemisphere demanding a long duration without oral intake. Ramadan in the UK begins on 7 June this year, lasting for 30 days, and it is obligatory for healthy Muslim adults to observe it.