Diabetes which is the reason for 12 percent of deaths in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has become a major health concern in the region, said an expert at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (ACCE)-Gulf Conference in Doha.
Diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) has become a major health concern in the MENA region. The five GCC states are among the top 10 in the world in the prevalence of diabetes. The situation will remain the same by the year 2030, according to Dr Abdullah Ben-Nakhi, from Kuwait, who made a presentation on “Diabetes in the Middle East.”
“Around 12 percent of total deaths in the MENA region are attributable to diabetes,” said Ben-Nakhi, on the second day of the ACCE-Gulf conference held at the Sheraton Hotel.
The prevalence of other risk factors for NCD including obesity, inactivity, unhealthy eating habits, hypertension, dyslipidemia and smoking are also high and of alarming significance in the region. Overweight and obesity is increasing among children and adolescents as almost 50 percent of children aged 10 to 20 are either overweight or obese. Statistics on adults are also high – 75 percent and 58 percent for obesity and inactivity.
The Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events showed that 40 percent of patients are diabetic and affecting a younger age group, 56 years, compared to other international studies. The health expenditure per person with diabetes per year is very low in many countries.
Mounting an effective fight to reduce the personal and economic burden of diabetes requires a co-ordinated approach which can only be fully achieved through strategic national and regional diabetes plans.
Separately according to another presentation, nutritional management of the outpatient with diabetes incorporates principles of healthy eating, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010.
“These principles prioritise healthy foods that are associated with disease prevention. Specifically, people should consume at least 7-10 servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains for their caloric, phytonutrient, and fibre content,” said Dr Jeffrey I Mechanick from the US in his presentation on nutritional strategies for the outpatient with diabetes.
Saturated fats should be limited with plenty of healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Diabetes patients should consume low mercury containing fish at least two to three times per week.
“In addition, the principles of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) should be taught to patients, especially if they are being treated with pharmacotherapy. For patients treated with insulin, this may include basic and advanced carbohydrate counting,” said Dr Mechanick.
Special considerations are discussed for the patient with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Also, transcultural factors relating to health promotion are discussed, specifically, evolutionary biology, individual genomics, environmental factors, education of physicians and patients, economics, and religious.
By Fazeena Saleem
The Peninsula