Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), part of Mubadala’s network of healthcare providers, will host the sixth Advanced Diabetes Conference (ADC), featuring sessions by leading diabetes experts from the Middle East with a focus on SGLT2 inhibitors and their role as a first-line treatment of diabetes.
Set to run from 27 to 28 April 2018 in Abu Dhabi, the upcoming edition of the annual conference will provide a valuable learning opportunity for medical specialists in training, and a platform for established diabetologists, endocrinologists and other physicians with an interest in diabetes to exchange expertise. The interactive event aims to highlight the latest clinical practices and encourage networking among medical peers.
Representing ICLDC, two of the region’s leading diabetes experts – Dr Mahamood Edavalath and Dr Lina Yassine – will debate whether sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors should be used as first-line therapy in type 2 diabetes patients with known medical history of cardiovascular disease. SGLT2 inhibitors represent a new class of diabetic medication developed exclusively for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In combination with exercise & a healthy diet, they can greatly improve glycaemic control.
Other notable sessions will include a talk on practitioners’ management of kidney disease by Dr Mustafa Ahmed, Consultant Nephrologist at ICLDC. The agenda will also comprise a series of lectures on gestational diabetes, diabetes in the elderly, genetics and diabetes, diabetic retinopathy and other relevant topics.
Dr Safdar Naqvi, Medical Director, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at ICLDC, said: “Recent figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) confirm that the Middle East is particularly prone to and affected by diabetes and related complications. Given the pressing challenges associated with the condition, this year’s Advanced Diabetes Conference is most timely.”
According to the latest edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, the UAE with 17.3 per cent places third among countries with the highest age-adjusted comparative diabetes prevalence in the MENA region, right after Saudi Arabia and Egypt. If the current trend continues, the number of people with diabetes in the region is projected to increase by 111.8 per cent by 2045.
