Nineteen percent of the UAE population living with diabetes: Time to act say diabetes specialists

DUBAI, UAE - Nov. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Latest figures by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have shown that an average 20% of the GCC population and nearly 19% of the UAE population now live with diabetes[1], with a marked increase in type II diagnoses. Coupled with this rise in disease prevalence, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is forecasting nearly fourfold increase of healthcare cost for UAE nationals between 2010 and 2030[2].

With the pancreas transplantation solution (that involves implanting a healthy pancreas, one that can produces insulin, into an insulin-dependent diabetic patient who is at risk of severe complications) being considered as a more accessible therapy for diabetic patients, the Arab Health Congress, running alongside Arab Health in January 2015 in Dubai, brings together leading practitioners in the field to discuss approaches to address the social and economic burden of the regional rising rate of the disease.

Commenting on the potentially groundbreaking role of drug discovery and transplantation therapies ahead of his speech at the Arab Health Congress, Dr Mikel Prieto, Surgical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program and Paediatric Kidney Transplantation Medical Director of International Practice Operations at the Mayo Clinic said: “Pancreas transplantation has come of age in the 21st century. The results of this relatively rare type of transplant are outstanding with graft and patient survival rates well above 90 percent. This procedure represents an excellent option for the type of diabetic patients who have significant difficulty controlling their blood sugar or who have developed kidney disease as a consequence of their diabetes. Today, we can offer them a pancreas transplant or a combined pancreas and kidney transplant. This will free them from the need to inject themselves with insulin several times a day.”

World Diabetes Day, taking place on the 14^th of November, marks a reminder about the need for urgent action to fight against the disease in order to prevent the rate of diabetes in the Middle East from doubling in the next 20 years. The IDF estimates the adult population in the MENA region will increase from 375 million in 2013 to 584 million by 2035, with diabetes sufferers rising from 34.6 million to 67.9 million[3].

Simon Page, Managing Director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, organisers of Arab Health added: “This is a critical time in the healthcare industry for diabetes. We have been, and will continue, to supply the region with the latest cutting-edge innovations that support the fight to control diabetes. The Arab Health Congress remains a cross-speciality platform for the leading global healthcare companies, hospitals, medical providers and healthcare professionals, to discuss the future of the global healthcare industry and patient care.”

[1] International Diabetes Federation (IDF) http://www.idf.org/worlddiabetesday/toolkit/gp/facts-figures

[2] Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) http://www.who.int/tobacco/mhealth/weqaya.pdf

[3] International Diabetes Federation (IDF) http://www.idf.org/sites/default/files/DA6_Regional_facts...