One out of every six people in Bahrain is diabetic, a disease of high prevalence in the country which stands at 15 per cent among its adult population.

An analysis by experts has been made as part of a November awareness drive and alarmingly they predict that a quarter of the GCC population could be diabetic by 2030.

“The spread of diabetes in Bahrain is unfortunately on the rise and the same trend is being seen globally,” King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) consultant endocrinologist, Dr Dalal Alromaihi told the GDN.

“This is true for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. “Globally one out of 11 individuals has diabetes, while in Bahrain one out of six have diabetes.

“We also know that many patients are actually unaware that they have diabetes because in some cases there are no symptoms and unless their blood is tested, they would not know.

“The recommendation is that if you are above the age of 45 or your Body Mass Index (BMI) is above 25 and have a sedentary lifestyle, a family history with a first degree relative with diabetes, or you have had diabetes in pregnancy, you should get tested for it every three years.”

The GDN reported earlier that according to the preliminary results of the survey, 18pc of people aged above 20 had diabetes, compared with 14.8pc in 2007.

The Supreme Council for Health chairman Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa also highlighted earlier this year that 15pc of the country’s healthcare budget goes towards medicines for treatment of the condition.

Royal Bahrain Hospital Diabetes and Endocrinology senior consultant Dr Wiam Hussein described the Diabetes Mellitus as the ‘silent epidemic’. He also underlined that people with diabetes who contracted Covid-19 are at a higher risk of infection complications and death.

“Every hour of the day, 1,000 people develop diabetes and every eight seconds someone loses a family member to diabetes – this is how prevalent the disease is and how serious it is,” he said.

“Predictions indicate a high percentage of people with diabetic disease to about a quarter of the region’s population in the GCC countries by 2030.

“A higher rate is seen among pre-diabetes cases (not yet diabetes range but higher than normal) which may become diabetes cases unless prevention programmes are adopted.

“Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth. “In addition, people with diabetes who contacted Covid-19 are also at a higher risk of infection, complications and death.

“Diabetes is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation. The chronic health condition had a global prevalence in 2019 estimated at 9.3pc (463 million people), rising to 10.2pc (578m) by 2030 and 10.9pc (700m) by 2045. The prevalence is higher in urban areas (10.8pc) compared to rural ones (7.2pc) and in high-income countries (10.4pc) compared with low-income ones (4pc). He also highlighted the rise among adolescents with Type 2 diabetes.

“Once a disease of the old is now seen in the school and college ages increasing the chances of complications to the future workforce of the country and increasing the economic burden of the disease,” he added.

He also called for ‘prevention strategies’, while pinning hopes on the national genome centre to help reduce or delay the condition. The centre established at Salmaniya Medical Complex in October last year aims to tackle hereditary illnesses through a major genetic survey of the Bahraini population by collecting 50,000 samples over the next five years.

“With the national genome project, it is expected that people at risk will be known and an early prevention programme can delay or prevent diabetes,” he said. “Until then and as the number of people with diabetes continues to rise across the world, we need strategies for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment starting from schools, colleges and workplaces and making testing a requirement for every adult.”

The National Health Survey (NHS) 2018 released on Wednesday cited the 15 per cent diabetic population in the country reflected higher among Bahrainis (18.4pc) than non-Bahrainis (14pc).raji@gdn.com.bh

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