ministries of health

In light of the increasing number of patients, non-communicable diseases constitute the most prominent challenges facing the Gulf, Arab and international societies, which drain many of the budgets of health ministries, especially since non-communicable diseases are considered chronic and accompany the patient in his life.

Sixty-two experts from Saudi Arabia and abroad will discuss tomorrow during the International Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Diseases in the Arab World and the Middle East, which was called by the Ministry of Health under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz: developments in non-communicable diseases.

The Director-General of the Executive Office of the Council of Health Ministers for the Cooperation Council States, Dr. Tawfiq Ahmed Khoja, believes that the most important reasons that helped the spread of non-communicable diseases were the great changes that the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, experienced, which had profound effects on the health of citizens, as these changes led to a transformation Concrete in the general pattern of diseases, as people become accustomed to new lifestyles, living habits and food, which have resulted in the spread of obesity, physical inactivity, the decline in exercise, the spread of smoking, and the increase in mental stress and nervous tension, all of which have caused an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.

He added: Although the ministries of health have taken it upon themselves to prepare preventive programs from chronic diseases with the aim of changing the behavioral pattern and educating people to change their ways of living through proper nutrition, sports, smoking cessation, and periodic detection of blood pressure diseases, diabetes and increased cholesterol, but any attempts to correct The situation for the control of chronic diseases will not be successful without the real participation of the community.

Obesity and cancer

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Public Health, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference, Dr. Ziad Maymesh, said that the Kingdom recorded percentages and statistics of people with non-communicable and infectious diseases, where the incidence of diabetes reached 14% among all groups of society and 28% for those over 30 years of age, and obesity was recorded at 36%. And the incidence of cholesterol 19.3%, smoking 13.10%, stress 26%, and physical activity 33.30% among all groups of society.

He pointed out that the causes of deaths around the world from non-communicable diseases have risen to 65%, and it is expected that over the next ten years the percentage will reach more than 75%.

diabetic foot

The General Supervisor of the Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi Chair for Diabetic Foot Research and Professor of Surgery and Consultant of Vascular Surgery at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Professor Hassan bin Ali Al-Zahrani, considered: The problem of diabetic foot is one of the most important health problems, as a result of diabetes due to the prevalence of diabetes among Saudis in particular. As the number of people with diabetes is increasing annually, according to the statistics of the World Health Organization and some studies, it can be said that one in every 5 Saudis is a diabetic, and the incidence rates increase to about 1 in 3 with age.

He stated that the lack of awareness among many patients of the importance of controlling their blood sugar levels, as the incidence of long-term complications for diabetic patients has increased, and at the forefront of this is the incidence of diabetic foot complications.

Professor Al-Zahrani concluded by saying: The research teams of the Mohammed bin Hussein Al-Amoudi Chair for Diabetic Foot Research at the University of the founder continue to conduct scientific research to reach a deeper understanding of this complex health problem, and that the results of those studies contribute to reducing this problem and its complications, in addition to making contributions In methods of prevention, diagnosis, education and treatment of diabetic foot ulcer and its complications

Obesity risks

The consultant of family and community medicine, Dr. Khaled Obaid Bawaked, explained: Obesity has become one of the most important health challenges facing Gulf societies, especially Saudi Arabia, for many considerations.

He pointed out that several studies published on the prevalence of obesity, which are not very different from the rest of the Gulf countries, showed that the percentage of overweight in men reaches 29%, while in women it is 27%, while we find that the percentage of obesity in women reaches 24%, and in men 16 %.

Regarding the reasons for the increase in obesity and the factors leading to it, Bawaked pointed out that there are 6 factors behind obesity: dietary pattern, lack of activity and movement, psychological and environmental factors, endocrine disruption, and genetics constitute the fifth factor, while obesity genes constitute the sixth factor in the causes.

Children''s diabetes

On the side of pediatric diabetes, the consultant of pediatrics, endocrinology and diabetes at the College of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University, Dr. Abdul Moeen Al-Agha, explained: Type 2 diabetes has become prevalent all over the world, including our children in Saudi society in particular and the Gulf in general, and this is mainly due to the spread of obesity All groups of society, including children.

Chest''s diseases

Dr. Ayman Badr Karim, a consultant in chest diseases and sleep disorders, supervising the Sleep Disorders Center in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, says: Millions of people struggle daily with many infectious and non-communicable respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung tumors, chronic bronchitis, and fibrosis of the lungs, as they die because of them. More than 10 million people a year, and close to 7% of all deaths around the world.

He stated that the international medical organizations for chest diseases drew attention to the weak attention to respiratory diseases, their rank behind in the public health agenda of many countries, the inadequacy of their laws to reduce the scourge of smoking, and the ban on the sale and use of tobacco, despite its killing of more than 5 million people. These organizations also warned of the death of approximately 250 thousand people annually, as a result of the lack of control of asthma, which affects 15-20% of individuals in some regions of the Kingdom, and is characterized by symptoms of frequent cough and shortness of breath, and health, psychological and social complications, It can be avoided by proper diagnosis, treatment and continuous long-term follow-up.

Regarding sleep disorders, Dr. Ayman said: It has recently been shown that chronic snoring and sleep apnea, as a common sleep disorder in 17% of the population, are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as overweight and depression. And car accidents as a result of increased sleepiness during the day, and a high number of deaths in different societies, which confirms the need to pay attention to sleep disorders, diagnose and treat them effectively in special centers to examine the nature of sleep during the night, to avoid its serious complications.

Fatty meals

For her part, the coordinator of the Diabetes Control Program in Jeddah Governorate and family medicine consultant Dr. Hana Al-Ghamdi told Okaz newspaper: Changing the lifestyle and heading to the wrong way is one of the most important causes of obesity, especially in children who have become dependent on fast and fatty meals that contain large amounts of calories. And fats, in addition to the lack of movement in children, especially with the presence of video games that they stick to for long hours.