DUBAI // Health experts believe there should be more adherence to new clinical guidelines for the treatment of diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines for this year, all people above the age of 45 should be screened for type 2 diabetes, regardless of their weight.
Dr Nader Lessan, consultant endocrinologist at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi, said: “At Imperial College we follow the ADA guidelines, but in the UAE there isn’t a guideline set for everyone.”
The ADA has in the past recommended that only those with a high body-mass index should undergo a mandatory test. The new guidelines, it argued, would allow doctors to find out if people were prediabetic, or genetically predisposed to the disease.
The guidelines also recommended that there be better glycaemic testing for pregnant women.
Dr Lessan said the updated guidelines would have a significant effect on “diagnosing diabetes and especially for pregnancies”.
Dr Prakash Pania, consultant endocrinologist at the Aster Jubilee medical complex in Dubai, however, said that because of the high prevalence of the disease doctors were already screening patients younger than 45.
The guidelines also recommend that people who are at risk of diabetes should limit the amount of time they are sedentary, and to not sit for more than 90 minutes at once.
For children who have diabetes or are prediabetic, at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day is recommended.
Dr Pania commended the guidelines, but said many would find them difficult to follow.
“If I take the example of myself, being a doctor, standing all the time is difficult. When I am seeing patients, I only get up at lunchtime. Usually, I examine a patient and sit down again,” he said.
“We have to break the habit of sitting. We advise patients to incorporate moving into their work [routine]. Take a break or go about a bit, so that you take those extra steps.”
Dr Maha Barakat, director general of Health Authority Abu Dhabi, said the number of diabetics in the country was expected to increase in the coming years.
“HAAD anticipates a growth in demand for general medical services linked to lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with larger volume increases in outpatient and inpatient settings,” she said.
“Therefore, it is important for the medical community to convene to discuss trends, optimal treatment standards and realistic means of prevention and mitigation of complications.”
With 19.2 per cent of the population suffering from the disease, the UAE ranks 15th in the world, Dr Barakat said.
The International Diabetes Federation estimated that last year there were 415 million people with diabetes in the world, a figure expected to grow to 642 million by 2040. The expenditure on diabetes worldwide last year was US$673 billion (Dh2.472 trillion), which is expected to rise to $802bn by 2040.
The federation’s statistics also suggested that there were 318 million people who were prediabetic, a figure expected to grow to 481 million by 2040.
arizvi2@thenational.ae