The diabetes prevalence rates in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region will increase by a staggering 96.2% in the next two decades, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has cautioned.
Qatar along with UAE and Oman will be the countries with the highest growth in diabetes prevalence between 2013 and 2035, according to a new report from the IDF.
The findings of the report will be presented in full at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), to be attended by more than 1,000 health policymakers and specialists from around the world, in Doha, on February 17-18.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait already feature on the IDF’s top 10 list of countries with the largest comparative prevalence rates from 2014.
The IDF report looking at the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, warns that cases in people aged 20-39, currently at nearly 63mn globally, are set to rise by 19% to nearly 75mn if urgent measures are not taken to counter the disease. This equates to around 12mn new cases in those aged 20-39 by 2035.
The report warns that the health consequences of diabetes, which include heart disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, kidney disease and lower limb amputations, are more severe than generally recognised, and calls on policymakers around the world to act to prevent rising rates.
It is estimated that up to 80% of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented through diet modifications, increasing physical activity and improving the living environment.
Diagnoses of type 2 in children, which used to be rare, is increasing. In some countries, type 2 diabetes now accounts for almost half of new cases in children and adolescents.
Type 2 diabetes rates are also increasing throughout the world’s adult population and experts warn that it is set to affect nearly 600 million people by 2035, at a projected cost of $627bn globally.
WISH Diabetes Forum chair Prof Stephen Colagiuri, professor of Metabolic Health at the University of Sydney, Australia, said: “Type 2 diabetes is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic and it is extremely worrying that we are starting to see it increasing in younger generations. Our report will aim to equip policymakers with the information they need to assess the health and cost impacts of the disease, learn from interventions that work and ultimately put in place measures to help stem the tide of diabetes.”
Prof The Lord Darzi of Denham, executive chair of WISH said: “Combating rising rates of type 2 diabetes should be a worldwide priority. Often the impact of diabetes, alongside other chronic conditions, is underestimated but the findings of this report will highlight to both policymakers and the public the true scale of the problem we are facing.”
Prof Stephen Colagiuri
