(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY Jan 25: Local doctor Professor Mohammad Zubaid professor of Medicine at Kuwait University and President of Kuwait Cardiac Society is urging action on the rising 'epidemic' of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the country as incidence of both continue to rise significantly. Prevalence of hypertension is set to double by 2025 according to the World Health Organisation and Type 2 diabetes affects up to 23% of Kuwait's population according to the International Diabetes Federation. As many as half of all diabetes sufferers are still undiagnosed with the illness commonly caused by obesity — another major health problem in Kuwait.
Around 23% of Kuwaitis are classed as overweight or obese according to the WHO. Although traditionally thought of as a disease affecting only blood sugar metabolism diabetes is associated with much higher rates of heart disease and strokes — more than smoking and high cholesterol put together. Kuwait is also already seeing a rise in cases of hypertension especially among a growing number of younger people (under 35) as a result of unhealthy lifestyles including poor diet and lack of exercise.
However because the disease is symptomless many people are unaware they have high blood pressure and go undiagnosed. 'The incidence of hypertension is increasing in Kuwait most alarmingly in young people. Most patients do not experience any symptoms and are frequently unaware that they even suffer from high blood pressure. It's very important for the public to be aware of the contributing factors to high blood pressure and regularly take part in screenings in order to diagnose hypertension as early as possible' said Professor Zubaid who is also the head of Cardiology at Mubarak Alkabeer hospital.
Alarming The cost implications of growing lifestyle diseases are also alarming. A recent report by Deloitte notes that the Middle East and Africa could be the fastest growing region for healthcare spending in the coming years where spending is expected to rise by an average of 10 percent annually. The increased healthcare demand is a result of the increase and spread of chronic diseases which is attributed to an aging population sedentary lifestyle poor diet rising obesity levels and improved diagnostics.
The same Deloitte report references epidemics in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the Middle East a warning that doctors in Kuwait echo locally. 'Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are both manageable with the right medication and the right lifestyle changes. More and more treatment options are becoming available to patients and as healthcare professionals we urge patients and families to act quickly before a true epidemic of lifestyle diseases hits the country' Professor Zubaid added. Addressing the Need for Quality Choice in Medicine in Kuwait 'There is an absence of high quality but affordable treatment options in Kuwait especially in key areas such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension — two diseases that significantly affect the Kuwait population' said Khalid Amin Regional Director in Cinfa Spanish pharmaceutical company that has launched for more than a year solutions for high cholesterol hypertension and infections in the UAE as well as asthma gastrointestinal therapy hypertension and infective and acute diseases.
Cinfa is present in 50 countries worldwide and since launching in the UAE in April 2013 the company has already doubled its UAE-based staff. It plans to expand into Kuwait next month and into the rest of the GCC throughout 2015 offering authentic accessible care to regional patients. 'Patient access to quality affordable treatments will improve the healthcare landscape in the country and Cinfa will have products in the market to address the need for more quality choice in medicine in Kuwait' Khalid Amin added.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.