Healthcare | Tuesday 24 November, 2015 7:25 am |

As experts renewed their call for stronger efforts from individuals and healthcare authorities to contain the diabetes epidemic in the Middle East, Canadian Specialist Hospital (CSH), one of the leading private sector hospitals in the UAE, marked the World Diabetes Day with a free screening and consultation programme for the public.

 

The hospital offered free screening for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood sugar levels, all key indicators of diabetes, as well as for diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness among diabetics, and free specialist consultation as part of a comprehensive Diabetes Awareness Programme.

 

“Late diagnosis, as much as rapidly changing lifestyles and attitudes, is blamed for the persistently high incidence of diabetes and its related casualties in the Middle East. When left undiagnosed or untreated diabetes limits the patient’s quality of life and can lead to varied complications, including blindness, kidney damage, diabetic foot, cardiovascular disorders and can prove to be fatal,” said Dr.Sarla Kumari, Specialist Physician Diabetologist at Canadian Specialist Hospital

 

Latest estimates by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) shows 9.1% of adults aged 20-79 in the Middle East and North Africa are diabetics but 40.6% of these cases remain undiagnosed. The UAE reported 1,335 deaths due to diabetes in 2014 and 10.7% of them were in the 20-79 age group. In spite of by public and private sector initiatives, 19% of the UAE population are deemed diabetic, a threat more serious than elsewhere in the region.

 

Inadequate awareness on the symptoms as well as risks of diabetes and the high incidence of obesity make diabetes a complex challenge in the Gulf. While the global average of obesity is 30%, studies show 66 per cent of the men and 60 per cent of women in the UAE are overweight or obese, which means they have a BMI of 30 or above. Obese people are 80% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with a BMI less than 22.

 

“Type 2 diabetes results from the inability of the human body to properly use insulin, the hormone that delivers blood sugar as energy to the cells whereas type 1 diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin.  Type 2 diabetes is more common in the GCC and the problem is linked to excess weight and lack of exercise,” said Dr.Kumari.

 

Globally, there are rising concerns now about a phenomenon known as ‘double diabetes,’ a strange situation in which patients suffer from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It’s a condition in which people who have type 1 diabetes turn overweight and show the profile of a type 2, with obesity and hypertension. 

 

Dr. Kumari said emerging challenges demand that early screening for diabetes be part of the health regime in countries like the UAE so that people do not have to wait till they develop a disability, heart attack or stroke. 

 

“In particular, symptoms like frequent urination, excessive thirst, blurred vision, sudden weight gain and recurrent infections could be indicative of diabetes. Timely medical intervention can help prevent diabetes or guarantee better management of the disease,” concluded Dr. Kumari.