Barriers to the delivery of optimal antidiabetic therapy in the Middle East and Africa

Summary Background The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, but developing nations will bear a disproportionate share of this burden. Countries in the Middle East and Africa are in a state of transition, where marked disparities of income and access to education and healthcare exist, and where the relatively young populations are being exposed increasingly to processes of urbanisation and adverse changes in diet that are fuelling the diabetes epidemic. Optimising diabetes care in these nations is crucial, to minimise the future burden of complications of diabetes. Methods We have reviewed the barriers to effective diabetes care with special relevance to countries in this region. Results The effects of antidiabetic treatments themselves are unlikely to differ importantly in the region compared with elsewhere, but economic inequalities within countries restrict access to newer treatments, in particular. Values relating to family life and religion are important modifiers of the physician–patient interaction. Also, a lack of understanding of diabetes and its treatments by both physicians and patients requires more and better diabetes education, delivered by suitably qualified health educators. Finally, sub‐optimal processes for delivery of care have contributed to a lack of proper provision of testing and follow‐up of patients in many countries. Conclusion Important barriers to the delivery of optimal diabetes care exist in the Middle East and Africa.