The study can help curb diabetes, a major health problem across the Middle East

A study by a group of Qatar-based scientists and medics that can predict the potential risk of diabetes in individuals has been published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation. 

The research assesses patients through a pre-diabetes risk score which is given based on a set of medical and lifestyle factors. The project was conducted by the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) in collaboration with the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI).

Significant risk factors for the pre-diabetes risk score among people in Qatar were age, gender, waist circumference, blood pressure and a person’s body mass index (BMI). The score can range from 0 to 45, with 45 indicating those most at risk. The pre-diabetes risk score was developed from data of Qatari citizens as well as long-term (≥15 years) residents and was effective on both populations.

Read more: Hamad Medical launches mental health awareness training program

The first-of-its-kind study in the Middle East, which uses the scoring system instead of a blood test, is an important tool for early detection of pre diabetics and can help tremendously in curbing the diabetes epidemic in the region, given the roughly 10% progression from pre-diabetes to Type-2 Diabetes among patients.

Recent scientific evidence has demonstrated that the progression from pre-diabetes to Type-2 diabetes can be prevented, or at least delayed, if detected early and treated through intensive lifestyle intervention.

Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube