Vital change in approach

Dubai: The UAE is tackling diabetes on a war-footing this year as the number of people dying due to complications from the disease is growing, doctors said.

The nation has the second-highest rate of diabetes in the world, mainly due to bad eating habits, a lazy lifestyle and also ignorance about this debilitating disease.

Ministry of Health experts say the fight against diabetes cannot be fought alone and have sought the assistance from corporate houses in the country.

Diabetes is also eating into national budgets of countries in the region and cost of managing the disease and its complications runs into millions. Governments now are focusing on prevention of the disease, which is much cheaper.

They are also trying to change bad food habits right from the school years. Child obesity is an alarming trend in the UAE and the neighbouring states and is one of the factors which lead to the diabetes.

Research presented last year at the Arab Health Congress showed that one out of five people aged 20 to 79 already lives with this condition, while a similar percentage of the population is at risk of developing it.

Types: Genetic and acquired causes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This causes the pancreas to stop making insulin or make too little. Type 1 diabetes is more common among Whites than people of other races.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common. It occurs when a person's body can't properly use the insulin it makes, a condition called insulin resistance. This can happen if one is overweight, because body fat makes it harder to use the insulin one's body produces. Other risk factors include inactivity, increased age, race and a family history of type 2 diabetes. Sometimes, type 2 diabetes strikes for unknown reasons.