Despite the availability of better health services and better awareness about the condition, a senior doctor at the diabetes congress revealed that in excess of 1 million UAE residents suffer from diabetes. Dr Abdul Razzaq Al Madani, chairman of the Emirates Diabetes Association, was quick to assert that authorities across the Gulf States are taking all measures to tackle with the issue urgently.

Dr. Al Madani also revealed that there are as many pre-diabetic people in UAE as there are diabetics. People are said to be pre-diabetic when their blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to term them as suffering from diabetes. These people have a good chance of turning diabetic over a period of time.

The 700 delegates who attended the Congress were informed by Dr. Al Madani that the situation is steadily becoming grave and it is likely that the five Gulf States of, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, even after 20 years, will find a place in the list of top 10 world countries with a highly diabetic population.

There have been repeated warnings by experts over time that diabetes is rapidly spreading among the middle classes all over the world. Changes in lifestyle and jobs which require minimum activity are being viewed as the main cause. Doctors all over are now promoting healthy eating and lifestyle changes to combat the problem.