3.4 million Saudi Arabians suffer from diabetes

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia ranks the seventh highest morbidity of diabetes in the world with 3.4 million patients, according to Okaz newspaper on Monday.

The incidence rate reached 24.4 percent of the population of adults between the age 20 to 70, head of the Scientific Committee for Diabetic Centers of Health Ministry Khalid bin Abdullah Taib told the newspaper.

He warned of the increasing cases of diabetes and highlighted that the western city Medina was the number one with the most of patients followed by Mecca and Jeddah. Medina is the city in the world with highest morbidity of diabetes among new born which is about 21,000 cases, he revealed.

Recent studies shows that 80 percent of patients are overweight, the expert said, while highlighting importance for awareness of the risks of obesity.

He concluded that the number of medical centers are not enough for the targeted population.