Half a billion diabetics by 2030

More than half a billion people will have diabetes by 2030, said an American scientist, who was delivering a lecture in Riyadh.
Mark Duncan, professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Colorado in Denver, marked the opening speech of the first session of the Saudi International Conference for Medical Technology, which was inaugurated Sunday by Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel, president of the King Abduaziz City For Science and Technology.
More than 25 percent of adults over 30 years of age have diabetes in the Kingdom. According to the Saudi National Diabetes Registry, around 130,000 Saudis have been registered as diabetics throughout the Kingdom.
Speaking under the theme “Mass Spectrometry and Personalized Medicine,” Duncan pointed out that diabetes can be controlled and is manageable if patients put in the effort required to manage the condition. Regular monitoring glucose levels could enable diabetes patients to monitor the status of the disease and act on medical advice, he noted, adding that obesity is also a contributory factor to diabetes.
Futwan Al-Mohanna, chairman of the Scientific Committee, made the opening remarks at the session.
In his inaugural speech, Al-Suwaiyel said the focus of the conference would be on three main diseases, namely diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Diabetes rates in the Kingdom are soaring, largely due to poor diet, high consumption of sugar, lack of exercise and high levels of smoking.
The economic burden of this disease is expected to rise to $243 to $411 billion in the next 15 years globally, draining away resources from other health needs.
A diabetic patient costs the Saudi government an estimated $800 per month.
“This conference will be an opportunity for leaders and decision-makers to move toward limiting the spread of the disease and reducing this financial burden on the Saudi economy,” Al-Suwaiyel said.