KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute, established by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), announced Wednesday that it has published a new study on the link between high temperatures, dust storms, and increased hospitalization rates for diabetics. The institute’s acting director general, Dr Faisal Al-Rifai, said in a statement that the study, published in the British BMJ ODRC journal issued by the British Medical Association in cooperation with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), was conducted by a research team from the institute in cooperation with Harvard University and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) under the title ‘The combined impact of dust storms and extreme heat on diabetics in Kuwait’.

Dr Al-Rifai said that the study showed the health challenges facing the country in terms of the spread of diabetes and obesity with harsh environmental conditions such as dust storms and extreme heat. He explained that the study’s supervisors, Dr Hamad Yassin from the institute, Dr Barak Al-Ahmad from Kuwait University, and Dr Ali Al-Hamoud from Scientific Research, collected daily dust samples using dedicated devices during the period from 2017 to 2019 and analyzed them to determine dust pollution levels, indicating that temperature data was collected from meteorological stations.

He stated that the results of this study, which was approved by the Ministry of Health, showed that dust storms and extreme heat cause diabetics to significantly need hospital treatment. He pointed out that the aim of publishing the results of such studies is to raise awareness, especially among diabetics, and urge them to take the necessary measures and precautions, such as avoiding going out during changing weather conditions, intense heat and dust, drinking water, wearing masks, taking precautions, and ensuring precautionary measures for their safety.

Al-Rifai stressed that the institute spares no effort in working to implement its mission, which is to combat diabetes in Kuwait through research, integrated prevention, training, education, and providing optimal treatment. For his part, the Director of the Research Sector at the Institute, Professor Fahd Al-Mulla, commented on the results of the study that high temperatures lead to increased heat stress, which exacerbates glucose control problems and increases the likelihood of complications. Al-Mulla pointed to a number of these complications, including foot ulcers and high or low blood sugar levels. Fine dust particles may also cause damage to blood vessels and increase inflammation, which further complicates the condition of diabetic patients. — KUNA