JEDDAH, 3 May 2006 — Saudi doctors have called for a sustained awareness campaign to tackle the alarming increase in diabetes cases in the Kingdom.
Professor Zawawi, of the department of medicine & endocrinology at the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, warned that there are more than 890,000 diabetics in Saudi Arabia and this number is expected to triple by 2030 unless more awareness of this disease is created.
"Wider awareness of this disease is the best way of treating and fighting it," Zawawi said during a medical forum held in Dubai recently.
Zawawi was among a group of Saudi doctors participating in the forum organized by Sanofi-Aventis. The forum discussed major challenges of diabetes treatment and exploring best procedures to fight it.
While squarely blaming the modern lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits as the leading causes of this disease, Zawawi said he was concerned about the growing number of Saudi youth being afflicted by diabetes, especially the type 2 variety.
Groups should actively campaign against this scourge while projecting healthy living, said Zawawi, who is an active member of the Diabetics Friends Association in Jeddah. He said the association, an affiliate of King Abdul Aziz University, sells diabetes medicines at low prices to make life easier for patients.
In the same forum, Dr. Saud Al Sifri, a consultant internist & endocrinologist at the Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital in Taif, also emphasized on the need for a campaign to make people aware of the dangers of diabetes.
"Recent studies show that 16 to 23 percent of the Arab world inhabitants are diabetics," he said.
He added: "Though government and private bodies have initiated various awareness programs, such as the Prince Sultan Diabetes Awareness Program, the public awareness of diabetes in the Arab world is still very low. So more efforts must be made."
Dr. Richard R. Rubin, president of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, said diabetes is a dangerous disease and that has to be dealt with. "Studies show that most people around the world have realized the need to know about this disease in order to combat it. Those with family history must realize the importance of taking precautionary measures which help in limiting complications," he said.
The forum was also addressed by Dr. Mahmoud Ashraf Ibrahim, consultant at the Egyptian Diabetes Center, professor Faralharz Ismael Pigy, head of clinical diseases section in Cleveland, and professor Anne L. Peters, director of the USC diabetes clinical programs for treating diabetics.
