Incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia: An overview.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to report on the trends in incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia over the last 25 years (1990-2015).

DESIGN: A descriptive review.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted for English-language, peer reviewed publications of any research design via Medline, EBSCO, PubMed and Scopus from 1990 to 2015. Of 106 articles retrieved, after removal of duplicates and quality appraisal, 8 studies were included in the review and synthesised based on study characteristics, design and findings.

FINDINGS: Studies originated from Saudi Arabia and applied a variety of research designs and tools to diagnosis diabetes. Of the 8 included studies; three reported type 1 diabetes and five on type 2 diabetes. Overall, findings indicated that the incidence and prevalence rate of diabetes is rising particularly among females, older children/adolescent and in urban areas.

CONCLUSION: Further development are required to assess the health intervention, polices, guidelines, self-management programs in Saudi Arabia.