Why Diabetes has Reached Epidemic Proportions in the MENA Region?

Highlights

• The MENA region accounts for 16% of global diabetes cases with 55 million people in the 20-79 age group afflicted with the condition

• A sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and a genetic predisposition to the metabolic disorder have made diabetes a scourge in the Middle East

• Governments must invest in educating the population to prevent and manage diabetes

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is fast becoming a global hotspot for diabetes prevalence. The statistics reveal an alarming trend with MENA accounting for 16% of total diabetes cases, the highest rate of incidence across regional groups worldwide.

What’s equally concerning is that MENA has the most diabetes-related mortality among people of working age. Nearly a quarter of deaths (24.5%) in the 18 to 60 age group occurred in the region in 2021.

The total number of adults afflicted with the condition is approximately 55 million. The figure accounts for about 13% of the region’s population in the 20 to 79 age group.

The most worrying fact is that almost 45% or 25 million of people within the demographic are undiagnosed or living with diabetes without any medical intervention. The condition is often referred to as a silent killer as it’s asymptomatic in the early stages and makes its presence felt with a vascular episode such as a cardiac arrest or stroke. Other unexpected occurrences include diabetes nephropathy, or kidney failure, diabetic retinopathy, or blindness, and diabetic neuropathy, which can result in limb amputations.

Factors that heighten diabetes-related risks

Researchers are looking into the reasons as to why diabetes mellitus has become a scourge in the MENA region. Here are some of the reasons for the population’s susceptibility to the metabolic disorder.

Sedentary way-of-life: The MENA region is mostly an arid desert landscape with fiery daytime weather and extremely cold nighttime temperatures. The extreme weather engenders a sedentary lifestyle as excess activity often leads to exertion and dehydration. However, the lack of physical activity makes people inhabiting the region vulnerable to insulin resistance, a precursor to full blown diabetes. It’s a well known fact that regular exercise helps the body to regulate both insulin production within the pancreas and how it’s used in the rest of the body.

Dietary Habits: Diets in the Middle East traditionally made use of local ingredients available in the desert lands. However, a rapid change in socio-economic factors has led to increased urbanisation in the region. The economic benefit notwithstanding the trend has contributed to poor diets comprising of processed foodstuffs. Such junk or fast foods are high in unhealthy fats, sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates and preservatives that lead to obesity along with chronic inflammation, allergies and hypertension. The conditions ramp up the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Tobacco Consumption: The MENA region accounts for a high consumption of tobacco-based products along with smoking. The rise in tobacco use has also led to a corresponding increase in the rate of diabetes. Smoking in fact causes a temporary spike in blood sugar levels and interferes with the body’s capacity to regulate the use of insulin for metabolic processes. Cultural customs such as the tradition of hookah smoking too have contributed to the incidence of diabetes.

Genetic Predisposition: Research has found that some ethnic Arab communities in the Middle East have a significantly higher genetic predisposition to insulin resistance. The researchers found several non-HLA genes that were correlated with vulnerability to type 1 diabetes. While the results are yet to be validated certain practices such as consanguinity and endogamy could be responsible for the presence of genes with a higher risk for developing the disorder.

Lack of Awareness and Education: Governments in the region need to initiate measures to boost awareness and knowledge about diabetes prevention as well as management. The initiatives include encouraging people to lead healthy lifestyles based on diet and exercise. Public health programs need to provide self-diagnostic kits such as blood glucose monitors to significantly lower risks related to hypoglycemic episodes.

A comprehensive public health initiative based on preventive measures can go a long way in ensuring that the menace of diabetes is tackled effectively before it acquires epidemic proportions in the region.