Diabetes in Qatar. An Overview (PDF)

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Medicine - Epidemiology, grade: 1, Egerton University, language: English, abstract: This research paper will provide an overview of diabetes in Qatar.

Diabetes in Qatar has seemingly become an enormous challenge to public healthcare systems. Qatar is one of the GCC countries which are known to have the highest diabetes incidence rates. In a global ranking, Qatar is ranked six whereas the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia who are members of the GCC countries are ranked second and third, respectively in regard to incidence rates of diabetes.

Current epidemiological reports indicate that an estimated 16 percent of the adult population in Qatar is suffering from diabetes, in which type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent compared to type 1 diabetes. However, other clinical reports indicate that diabetes prevalence among children below the age of five years in Qatar has also assumed upward trends. For instance, prevalence rate for diabetes among children was reported to be 13.7% in 1997, but this rate has more than doubled to reach 28.2% in 2007.

From an epidemiological perspective, the burden of diabetes to Qatar's healthcare system seems to be overwhelming. Therefore, it has become a significant concern in community health nursing because the number of Qatari diabetic patients seeking for medical treatment has increased significantly. This situation has been worsened by the rising trends of obesity prevalence rates. Currently, 45% of the population in Qatar is obese in which 55% of diabetic patients are obese. Therefore, this correlation in incidence and prevalence rates of the two diseases complicates prevention and health promotion measures in Qatar. As a result, Qatar's efforts to reduce the prevalence of diabetes have been faced with enormous challenges. However, the country is optimistic that the Qatar Diabetes Project and Stem Cell Projects will be successful.

In regard to the risk factors, the unprecedented increase of diabetes prevalence is attributable to lifestyle and genetic factors. Clinical studies reveal that most people in Qatar have changed their cultural lifestyle to western-related lifestyle, and this is believed to have contributed significantly to the current diabetes crisis.

In general, diabetes issue in Qatar needs appropriate epidemiological measures to reduce its burden to the country's healthcare system in which social health determinants and epidemiological indicators will help in addressing the issue.