American Bedu

Health in the Kingdom
Current mood: curious

I had the opportunity to speak with some physicians recently on my observations of some of the larger Saudi hospitals in Riyadh.  The larger hospitals in the Kingdom are very much like mini cities with so many different departments and special facilities.  One will see separate facilities and large wings for very specialized departments that one does not typically see in Western hospitals.  For example, I learned it is not unusual to have a whole separate liver transplant wing or quite large bone marrow transplant department or separate departments for various sub-specialities of oncology (cancer).  The reason for this is due to the number of individuals in the Kingdom who have been afflicted with unusual diseases or disorders.  Many physcians and scientists seek to come to Saudi Arabia where they have the opportunity to observe, research and study patients with unusual disorders that are not common elsewhere.  As a result, the Kingdom has dedicated resources to have special facilities available for the citizens who require highly specialized care and treatment.I’ve learned the Kingdom ranks quite high compared to the rest of the world for individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, cancer, obesity and other diseases or disorders.  I’m told the reason for this is multi-faceted based on lifestyle, environment and the traditions of marrying within families.  The lifestyles for many Saudis are sedintary and the traditional foods are rich in fats and oils which impact on the number of Saudi citizens with high blood pressure, cholestrol and obesity.  Many of the genetic disorders and diseases have been caused by the tradition to marry within the family such as first cousins marrying first cousins — repeatedly.In regards to marriages, the Kingdom instituted a mandate that couples must now take a series of different blood tests towards determining compatibility (in the genetic sense).  However while these tests are mandatory it is still up to the individuals involved whether or not they continue to go forward with a marriage if the results indicate a high likelihood of problems with any future children.As I learn about these problems and statistics it seems to me that the Ministry of Health has its work cut out.  The Ministy has been proactive to date in having various public awareness programs but needs to continue to do more to sensitize citizens of the critical need to change to healthier lifestyles and diets.And today’s Khaleej Times had the following article which highlights the increasing obesity and rise of breast cancer in the Kingdom:http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/April/middleeast_April119.xml&section=middleeast&col=Breast cancer cases on the rise in Saudi Arabia
From our correspondent

7 April 2007 JEDDAH — Breast cancer cases have been increasing in Saudi Arabia with expert saying that they are approaching near-epidemic levels. “There are 600 to 800 new breast cancer patients a year, and we believe that this number is probably underestimated because it will take years for statistics to be complete. Unfortunately, we predict the number will be higher in the future,” said Ezzeldin Ibrahim, professor at King Faisal Specialist and Research Hospital…:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />“The relative young age of breast cancer patients in the Kingdom worries doctors the most. While in Western societies, the median age of sufferers sits at about 65, the average age of the Saudi sufferer is 40 — and only 10 per cent are over 50. There are some other diseases, like diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and hypertension … which are equally important because some of them are highly related to breast cancer,” he added. The cancer, which affects both women and men, has become the most common form of cancer in the country, comprising 20 per cent of all cancer cases in the Kingdom. Doctors blamed lifestyle choices of Saudi women and the effects of rapid economic development on local diet for the rise. A recent forum on women’s health showed that obesity is a major problem for Saudi women.Thirty-three per cent of Saudi women are obese, a much higher percentage than Saudi men. In a recent study, doctors compared a group of Saudi women diagnosed with breast cancer to a similar group of healthy women. The study established a direct link between the intake of fats, protein and calories and the development of breast cancer. “Obesity is a big problem in Saudi Arabia, because of lack of exercise and a large intake of fatty foods, which also leads to diabetes, hypertension and heart disease,” said Noha Ahmad Dashash, deputy director of Jeddah’s healthcare initiative.If you wish to comment on this posting and not a myspace member, send me an email.  Site the subject which I gave for this posting and then your comment so I will post it to the appropriate blog posting.  Also it helps to advise how you wish to be attributed such as anonymous or some other name.I will state upfront that if a comment is inappropriate I would not post it.  I’m pretty open and an example of what I mean by inappropriate is that at one time someone posted links to anti-american videos and the like.  My blog is not for anti-America or anti-Saudi bashing.  Yes; there are aspects to each country or society one may not like but if it is going to be discussed, it is going to be in an adult and constructive manner!so, my email address for your comments to be uploaded is:  american_bedu(at)yahoo(dot)com

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