DOHA: Between 2013 and 2035, the countries with the highest growth in the incidence of diabetes will be Qatar, the UAE and Oman, according to a new report by International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait feature on IDF’s top 10 list of countries with the largest comparative prevalence rates since 2014.
Prevalence rates in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) will increase by 96.2 percent by 2035, warns the report.
The findings of the report will be presented in full at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) to be held in Doha from February 17 to 18. More than 1,000 health policymakers and specialists from around the world will attend the forum hosted by Qatar Foundation.
Diabetes cases in the age group 20-39, currently at nearly 63 million, are set to rise by 19 percent to nearly 75 million (close to the entire population of Turkey) by 2035 if measures are not taken to prevent the disease, says the report. This equates to around 12 million new cases in the age group 20-39 by 2035.
Incidence of type 2 in children, which used to be rare, is increasing. In some countries, it now accounts for almost half of new cases in children and adolescents.
The report warns that health consequences of the condition, which include heart diseases, strokes, diabetic retinopathy, kidney diseases and lower limb amputations, are more severe than generally recognised, and calls on policymakers around the world to check the rising rates.
It is estimated that up to 80 percent of type 2 cases could be prevented by changing diet, increasing physical activity and improving the living environment.
Type 2 rates are also increasing throughout the world’s adult population and experts warn that it is set to affect nearly 600 million by 2035 (around 10 percent of the world’s adult population) at a projected cost of $627bn globally.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Diabetes Forum Chair Professor Stephen Colagiuri, Professor of Metabolic Health, University of Sydney, Australia, said, “Type 2 diabetes is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic and it is worrying that we are starting to see it increasing in younger generations. Our report will aim to equip policymakers with information they need to assess the health and cost impacts of the disease, learn from interventions that work and put in place measures to help stem the tide of diabetes.”
Professor Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair, WISH, and Director, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College of London, 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 policymakers and the public the true scale of the problem we are facing.”
The Peninsula
