Asirvatham Alwin Robert
1Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Saudi Arabia
Title: The worrying trend of type-1 diabetes mellitus among children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia: An urgent call to actions
Biography
Biography: Asirvatham Alwin Robert
Abstract
Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) is initiated by an insulin deficiency, the result of a loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the
pancreas. It is well established that T1D is quite prevalent worldwide with a rate of 1 in 300 persons and steadily rising
frequency of incidence of about 3% every year. More worryingly, the incidence of T1D among infants is also growing, with
children as young as six months succumbing to it, instead of that at a rather established vulnerable age of about seven and
near puberty, when the hormones antagonize the action of insulin. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the biggest country in the
Middle East that occupies almost four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula with a population of more than 33.3 million people, of
whom almost 26% are under the age of 14 years. As per the recent Diabetes Atlas, 35,000 children and adolescents in Saudi
Arabia suffer from T1D, which makes Saudi Arabia rank the 8th in terms of numbers of T1D patients and 4th country in the
world in terms of the incidence rate (33.5 per 100,000) of T1D. However, compared to developed countries, there is dearth of
meticulously conducted research on T1D in Saudi Arabia. Considering the increasing prevalence of T1D in Saudi Arabia, the
research interventions need to be significantly developed. Consequently, the present scenario demands more multidimensional
and multisectoral research to support the evidence base and to accumulate greater knowledge as a basis for measures and
program to confront T1D and its complications.