Diabetes is assuming tsunami proportions in the Eastern Mediterranean countries, particularly in the Gulf region, officials of several international diabetes bodies warned while urging appropriate preventive action at the International Diabetes Leadership Forum which concluded in Doha this week.
More than 422mn people are diabetic in the world and unfortunately, the Gulf region has seen the highest increase in this regard, according to International Diabetes Federation president Dr Shaukat Sadikot.
“Half of these people are not even aware that they are diabetic,” Dr Sadikot stated. “Diabetes is a tsunami today and the waves are getting higher and higher,” he warned.
It has been pointed out at the event that Qatar’s annual cost for diabetes care could rise from QR1.8bn in 2015 to QR5bn in 2035 and QR8.4bn by 2055, if no immediate action is taken to combat the problem.
The net present cost for treating diabetes in Qatar over the next 40 years is estimated at QR130bn. If current behaviour and practices remain the same, there could be a significant increase in the burden of the disease in the coming decades, according to a report.
If nothing is done to fight the problem, the number of people suffering from diabetes in Qatar could go up from 200,000 in 2015 to 299,000 in 2035 and 368,000 by 2055. Similarly, the number of people suffering from complications due to diabetes is 48,000 presently and could rise to 124,000 in 2035 and 182,000 by 2055.
It was also announced at the forum that the Ministry of Public Health was preparing to implement a set of guidelines for diabetic patient care in Qatar.
National Guidelines for Diabetic Patient Care will specify different stages and methods of treatment which would help to manage the disease and avoid complications in an effective way.
Dr Ala Alwan, regional director of Eastern Mediterranean, World Health Organisation, recalled that the prevalence of diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region had gone up to more than 40mn from 6mn in 1980. More than 350,000 die in the region on account of diabetes or diabetes related diseases.
According to Dr Alwan, nearly one in 10 adults suffers from diabetes globally. “But in some Middle Eastern countries, the number is one in five adults and is rising. The region has the highest prevalence of diabetes worldwide. By 2030, the number of people with diabetes in the Middle East is expected to increase to almost 60mn,” he stressed.
“In Qatar, more than 50% of deaths due to diabetes take place before the age of 70. Many people die relatively young in their prime age, robbing them of their most productive years of life and affecting the progress of the countries negatively,” Dr Alwan added.
According to Dr Sadikot, diabetes is the leading cause of several diseases. “Today, diabetes is the reason for half the number of blindness cases. Every 15 second, a person loses a lower limb in the world due to diabetes and one in three people who undergo dialysis, is diabetic. About 60 to 70% of the diabetic people have early hypertension and early stroke,” he pointed out.
“Diabetes represents a growing challenge for countries around the world. This region has bigger problem to combat. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that the number of people with diabetes will reach 592mn by 2035.”
Dr Sadikot stated that the world could not wait anymore as it was high time to wage a full-blown war against diabetes. “We are losing the battle but we have to win the war. We have to take urgent measures to combat this menace. The road ahead is not just tough but extremely difficult. But we have to think of the generations ahead,” he cautioned.
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