million riyal diabetes' center will soon be opened in Taif, said Dr. Abdul Rahman Karkaman, the director of health affairs in Taif when inaugurating the third national conference on diabetes in Taif, which ran over two days from Apr. 14 to Apr. 15 at Taif's Intercontinental hotel. In total, nine aspects of diabetes were discussed during the conference, including artificial pancreas, gestational diabetes, complications from the disease extending to the eyes, nerves, heart and kidneys, ways of prevention and the importance of following a healthy and balance diet. “We are aiming in this conference to discuss the extent of this illness and new developments in the field of endocrinology, as well as to exchange experiences,” remarked the conference chairman, Dr. Humaid Al-Swat. “This is not only important for professionals, but also for other health workers. We will also focus on catering to the community, like offering screening tests for hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in major malls within Taif.” Dr. Zakaria Wewik, a consultant endocrinologist at King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif explained what this widespread yet poorly understood disease actually is. “Diabetes is a multifactorial disease that is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both,” he said. Issues for women The most important issue regarding women when they get pregnant is if they develop gestational diabetes (GD) - a type of diabetes that overwhelmingly affects pregnant women. “Insulin resistance is one of the metabolic changes that occur in pregnancies, but only a fraction of women develop overt impaired glucose tolerance or frank diabetes,” said Dr. Hisham Arab, a consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at United Doctors Hospital in Jeddah. “All women who have a family history of diabetes should get a screening done during their pregnancy,” he said. “To manage GD, we put the emphasis on diet and exercise,” explained Dr. Arab, “With proper exercise and diet changes, we can control 80 to 90% of GD. We used to give 40% of the patients insulin but we are now giving only 5 or 10% of them any medication.” There is a widespread misconception in our society that if a mother is diabetic, then her baby will also be diabetic. Dr. Arab refutes this view. “GD does not occur because of a lack of insulin, but because of resistance to insulin. During a pregnancy, the baby will pump enough insulin to correct the lack of it,” he said. He does, however, urge caution at the time of birth. “At the time of delivery, when the placenta is cut, the baby's pancreas will still be producing the same amount of insulin, “ he said. “So the first hour of the baby's life is risky and the baby will require doses of sugar to stabilize its blood sugar level.” We need education “Education, education and more education is what we need to avoid many medical problems,” said Dr. Aamer Basha, a consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at the King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif. According to Dr. Khalid Al-Rubean, the director of King Saud University's diabetes center, the incidence of diabetes will only increase in the future. “The number of diabetics in Saudi Arabia is predicted to increase to a number that will probably be greater than that in countries like the United States, Canada and Australia,” he warned. “One in four Saudis is expected to be a diabetic.” He did express some relief and hope for most diabetics. “There is substantial evidence that DB can be prevented or delayed,” he added. However, with the occurrence of familial clustering and positive family history of diabetes in the majority of patients, it is important to ask: could genetics be behind the epidemic of diabetes in the Kingdom?
