Almost a third of Dubai’s adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic

Nearly a third of Dubai’s adult population is in the diabetic and pre-diabetic phases, according to a new survey.

Dubai Health Authority surveyed 5,000 expats and nationals above the age of 18 for the report, which looked at prevalence, undiagnosed cases and pre-diabetic cases for the first time.

It found a diabetes prevalence rate of 19 per cent among Emiratis, with 11 per cent undiagnosed diabetics and 18.6 per cent pre-diabetic.

Among expats, the prevalence rate was 14.7 per cent, with 11.3 per cent undiagnosed and 15.5 per cent in the pre-diabetes phase.

This meant the total prevalence of diabetes in Dubai was 15.2 per cent and around 16 per cent of people were in the pre-diabetes phase.

Read: Counting the cost of type 2 diabetes on the UAE’s medical system

Rising rates of obesity and lifestyle diseases like diabetes are expected to boost the Gulf’s healthcare market from $40.3bn in 2015 to $71.3bn by 2020, according to a study released last year by Alpen Capital.

In the wider UAE, authorities are aiming to reduce the total prevalence of diabetes from 19 per cent to 16.4 per cent by 2021.