Prevalence and reasons of increased type 2 diabetes in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries are considered as one of the most regions exhibiting a high prevalence of diabetes including the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and United Arab of Emirates, which have similar population characteristics (for example, religion, language, lifestyle, diet, and income). The frequency rate of diabetes in these countries ranged from 8 to 22% according to the last International Diabetes Federation (IDF) report. Many factors impact the prevalence in this region including obesity, unhealthy lifestyle, increased life expectancy, increased healthcare expenditures, increased the incidence of type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) among children and young persons, and genetic susceptibility. This study aims to review the published papers on the incidence of T2DM and explore the most reasons behind elevated incidence of T2DM in these countries.