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Rabat – The world will mark “World Diabetes Day” on Sunday, November 14, to raise awareness on one of the deadliest diseases in Morocco and around the world. This year’s Diabetes Day revolves around the theme “Access to Diabetes Care” which has great relevance for Morocco.
“Morocco, like other developing countries, is not escaping the trend of diabetes and the disease is one of the main public health problems,” a 2018 study concluded. The WHO has described the situation as “alarming.”
Recent studies into the impact of Diabetes in Morocco highlight the urgent need for the disease to receive more priority from Rabat.
A recent study of gestational diabetes in the Safi province concluded that the disease is prevalent and often related to lifestyle changes such as urbanization, lack of physical exercise, obesity and high blood pressure.
“Diabetes is one of problems among the epidemiological transition with enormous health and economic consequences, posing new challenges to the national health systems,” the study warned.
“Diabetes is becoming more and more a chronic disease affecting people not only in high-income countries but also progressively in low and middle-income countries,” it concluded. This spread is worsened because of a lack of awareness “on the diagnosis and the risk factors as well as the access to care are still limited.”
Another study, published in October 2021, explored the prevalence of diabetes and its links to other ailments in two Moroccan urban centers, Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Sale-Kenitra. The study was organized around the premise that “Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, but little is known about its risk factors in Morocco.”
It found that prediabetes and diabetes is common in Morocco, with 17.9% of women and 12.8% of men above the age of 18 having some form of the disease. The prevalence of diabetes grows as individuals grow older, and smoking exacerbates the risk of getting diabetes.
Morocco’s largely Muslim population might be a small factor as well, the study shows that alcohol drinkers were found to have “a slightly lower risk of prediabetes and diabetes than non-drinkers.” Overall, the study estimated that “30% of adults had prediabetes or diabetes,” a worrying statistic.
“Public health interventions are urgently needed to prevent and control diabetes and therefore avoid associated morbidity and mortality,” the study concluded.
