DOHA: A study by Qatar Biobank among a cross section of Qataris and long-time expatriates has reconfirmed the high prevalence of hypertension and obesity in the country.
A major portion of the respondents (45 percent) required a referral to a clinic or hospital for diseases and about 70 percent of them were not aware that they had a disease.
About 76 percent of the male and 70 percent of the female respondents were overweight or obese, while 52.7 percent of the male and 31.7 percent of female participants were found pre-hypertensive (normal high blood pressure levels) or hypertensive.
Findings of the two-year study among a sample of nearly 1,200 people were released yesterday. It was the pilot phase of the Qatar Genome project launched by Qatar Biobank, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF) in 2013.
The report revealed that 80 percent of the sample population reported no level of moderate physical activity per week, 67 percent reported walking less than two hours per week for leisure, while about 55 percent reported to be working in an office-based environment, which leads to inactivity.
The study found that most people spent most of their time watching TV and using computers while few respondents reported to have changed their diets to lose weight.
A total of 530 of the 1,172 respondents (45 percent) were referred to Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) or primary healthcare centres and among them 373 (70 percent) were not aware that they had a disease.
About 25 percent of the referrals were due to abnormal bone density and low blood calcium rates, 19 percent due to dyslipidemia (high Cholesterol), 18 percent due to diabetes and 17 percent due to high blood pressure.
HMC has assigned a special clinic (Building No. 10) for Qatar Biobank referrals and other referrals related to chronic communicable diseases, Dr Hadi Abderrahim, Managing Director, Qatar Biobank, told a press conference yesterday.
Researchers found some of the participants’ health in dire need of medical attention while they were not aware; these people were referred to Hamad Medical Clinic. “As Qatar’s scientists and scholars continue to engage in the shift from traditional genomics as the mapping of an individual’s DNA, to population-based studies that will improve the lives of future generations, the ongoing medical research into the causes of prevalent diseases in Qatar and the initial findings of the pilot phase again reveal the value of the work underway at Qatar Biobank,” he said.
As Qatar and the surrounding region continue to witness an increase in the number of people affected by diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer, the report illustrates how Qatar Biobank continues to play a leading role in the development of personalised medicine through genomics.
Also by spearheading the Genome Project, announced by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson, Qatar Foundation, and Vice-Chairperson, Supreme Council of Health, during the World Innovation Summit on Health (WISH) 2013, Qatar Biobank continues to help chart a road map for future treatment through personalised medicine.
Genomics, a discipline in genetics that analyses the structure and function of genomes, the complete set of DNA within a single cell of an organism, is a rapidly emerging medical discipline.
With 17 percent of Qatar’s adult population suffering from type 2 diabetes, knowledge and information collected by Qatar Biobank will enable scientists gain insights into the causes of these diseases and tailor treatments matching individual genome coding within the next few years.
With plans to initially collect samples from more than 60,000 participants from the local population, Qataris or expatriates who have lived here for over 15 years, are eligible to participate in the study.
The contribution involves attending an assessment session at Qatar Biobank clinic that lasts less than three hours and comprises measurements, including an individual’s height, weight, blood pressure and blood, urine and saliva samples.
Health information obtained from medical records, DNA, lifestyle and environmental exposures has the potential to provide further insights into the management and prevention of debilitating diseases common in Qatar.
“These volunteers are not only helping us build one of the world’s largest population-based biobanks, they are also contributing to improving the health of the people of Qatar,” said Dr Hanan Al Kuwari, Chairperson, Qatar Biobank.
As it continues its work on the development of the Genome Project, Qatar Biobank will host a two-day networking conference next month to examine the development of Qatar’s healthcare industry. Qatar’s inaugural ‘Biobanking in the Content of Personalised Healthcare’ conference will be held on February 8 and 9 at Qatar National Convention Center. It will gather local and regional experts and their international counterparts to discuss the future of medical research and personalised medicine in Qatar.
The Peninsula
