Diabetes and the Arab Nations: Have we reached a tipping point, and how do we silence the alarm?

There is a crisis that is impacting health care in the Arab nations of the Middle East and in north and west Africa: six countries in this region are on the top-ten list worldwide in terms of diabetes prevalence. Comprising 22 countries with a total population of 350 million people, these nations constitute only about 5% of the total world population. Yet, nearly 20% of the people in Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are diabetic. Not to be forgotten is the likelihood that between 41% (Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) to 62% (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, occupied Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia) of the population is suffering from undiagnosed diabetes. Currently, nearly 10% of all adult deaths in Arab countries are related to the complications of diabetes. This disproportionate prevalence of diabetes within the Arab nations undoubtedly has long-term health implications that will manifest in several ways unless social norms regarding diet and exercise change, along with a serious effort to reconsider government priorities.