Diabetes and Chronic Diseases in Saudi Arabia: A Decade of Change
Author Information
Author(s): Nasser M Al-Daghri, Omar S Al-Attas, Majed S Alokail, Khalid M Alkharfy, Mansour Yousef, Shaun Louie Sabico, George P Chrousos
Primary Institution: King Saud University
Hypothesis
What is the current prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes, in the urban region of Saudi Arabia?
Conclusion
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 and other chronic diseases in Riyadh has significantly worsened over the past decade.
Supporting Evidence
- The overall crude prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 was found to be 23.1%.
- The age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes was significantly higher in males at 34.7% compared to 28.6% in females.
- The prevalence of obesity was 31.1%, with a higher rate in females at 36.5% compared to 25.1% in males.
- The study indicates a significant increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases over the past decade.
- Hypertension prevalence was reported at 32.6% among the participants.
Takeaway
This study shows that many people in Saudi Arabia have diabetes and other health problems, and these issues are getting worse over time.
Methodology
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 9,149 randomly selected adult Saudis, assessing the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the exclusion of expatriates and reliance on known cases for coronary artery disease.
Limitations
The study's findings may not reflect the true national prevalence as participants were only from the central region.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 5,357 males (58.6%) and 3,792 females (41.4%) aged 7 to 80 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 20.47 to 22.15
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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