Tobacco smoking and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

• Published in: Saudi medical journal Vol. 42; no. 9; pp. 1045 - 1046
• Main Authors: Al-Zalabani, Abdulmohsen H, Aljulifi, Mohammed Z
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Saudi Arabia Saudi Medical Journal 01.09.2021; Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC)
• Subjects: Correspondence; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - etiology; Epidemiology; Gender; Gestational diabetes; Health risks; Humans; Smoking; Tobacco; Tobacco Smoking; Saudi Arabia
• ISSN: 0379-5284; 1658-3175
• DOI: 10.15537/SMJ.2021.42.9.1045

Tobacco smoking among boys reaches up to 25% in some GCC countries,8 compared to the 16% global average.5 4) Smoking among women: [...]recently, tobacco use in GCC countries has remained low among women. [...]controlling tobacco will not only save human lives but also can save the GCC countries high economic costs of government-sponsored healthcare and prevention measures, estimated in 2016 to be 34.5 billion international dollars per year.5 Reply from the Author At the beginning, I would like to thank Dr. Al-Zalabani for his valuable comments. [...]the exact mechanism is not fully understood.2,18 It has been found that smoking increases insulin resistance and subsequently, uncontrolled blood sugar.2,19 Also, smoking plays a role in development of microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes.1,19 Regarding pregnancy, smoking might be a risk factor for gestational diabetes.2,20 In conclusion, the prevalence of smoking and T2DM are high in Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area and the effect of smoking on diabetes prevalence need to be assessed in these communities.