An average 20 per cent of the GCC population and nearly 19 per cent of the UAE population now live with diabetes, with a marked increase in type II diagnoses, according to latest figures by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Coupled with this rise in disease prevalence, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is forecasting nearly fourfold increase of healthcare cost for UAE nationals between 2010 and 2030.

The Arab Health Congress, running alongside Arab Health in January 2015 in Dubai, will bring together leading practitioners in the field to discuss approaches to address the social and economic burden of the regional rising rate of the disease.

“Pancreas transplantation has come of age in the 21st century,” said Dr Mikel Prieto, surgical director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program and Paediatric Kidney Transplantation medical director of International Practice Operations at the Mayo Clinic, commenting on the potentially groundbreaking role of drug discovery and pancreas transplantation therapies.

“The results of this relatively rare type of transplant are outstanding with graft and patient survival rates well above 90 percent. This procedure represents an excellent option for the type of diabetic patients who have significant difficulty controlling their blood sugar or who have developed kidney disease as a consequence of their diabetes.

“Today, we can offer them a pancreas transplant or a combined pancreas and kidney transplant. This will free them from the need to inject themselves with insulin several times a day,” Dr Prieto added.

World Diabetes Day, taking place on the November 14, marks a reminder about the need for urgent action to fight against the disease in order to prevent the rate of diabetes in the Middle East from doubling in the next 20 years.

The IDF estimates the adult population in the Mena region will increase from 375 million in 2013 to 584 million by 2035, with diabetes sufferers rising from 34.6 million to 67.9 million.

Simon Page, managing director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, organisers of Arab Health said: “This is a critical time in the healthcare industry for diabetes. We have been, and will continue, to supply the region with the latest cutting-edge innovations that support the fight to control diabetes.”

“The Arab Health Congress remains a cross-speciality platform for the leading global healthcare companies, hospitals, medical providers and healthcare professionals, to discuss the future of the global healthcare industry and patient care.”

Arab Health, organised by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, takes place from January 26 to 19, 2015 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. – TradeArabia News Service