A Kuwaiti research team has found that dust storms and extreme heat cause a significant increase in the need for diabetic patients to receive hospital treatment, and that high temperatures lead to increased heat stress, which exacerbates glucose control problems and increases the likelihood of complications.
The study was conducted by a team from the Dasman Diabetes Institute in collaboration with Harvard University and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and was published in the British Medical Journal “BMJ” under the title “The combined effect of dust storms and extreme heat on diabetic patients in Kuwait.”
The acting director general of the institute, Dr. Faisal Al-Rifai, said that the study showed the health challenges facing the country in terms of the spread of diabetes and obesity, along with harsh environmental conditions such as dust storms and extreme heat.
Al-Rifai 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 and preventing them from entering the hospital.”
It is noteworthy that the study’s researchers collected daily dust samples using specialized devices and analyzed them to determine dust pollution levels, and temperature data was collected from weather stations.