Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East and North Africa Region From 1990 to 2021.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a major and rapidly growing public health challenge worldwide, particularly in regions undergoing rapid demographic and lifestyle transitions. The present study aimed to report the burden and trends associated with T2DM in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 were used to report the prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of T2DM in the 21 MENA countries. RESULTS: In 2021, the MENA region had an age-standardized T2DM prevalence of 8961.4 (95% UI: 8330.5-9640.4) per 100,000. The highest prevalence rates were recorded in Iraq (15,052.7), Qatar (15,006.6), and Kuwait (14,772.5), while the lowest were observed in Yemen (5688.4), Turkey (6372.4), and Iran (6684.4). The age-standardized mortality rate was 28.9 (95% UI: 25.6-32.1) per 100,000, with Bahrain (126.2), Qatar (76.8), and Egypt (55.3) reporting the highest rates, and Yemen (14.4), Tunisia (16.5), and Sudan (17.9) the lowest. Between 1990 and 2021, the largest increases in prevalence were seen in Egypt (+310.6%), Morocco (+189.1%), and Afghanistan (+178.6%), while Morocco (+101.1%), Egypt (+89.9%), and Libya (+83.7%) had the largest increases in mortality. A V-shaped association was identified between DALY rates and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). CONCLUSION: The burden of T2DM in the MENA region increased considerably between 1990 and 2021, with marked differences across countries, age groups, and sexes. These findings underscore the critical need for country-specific approaches to prevent, manage, and reduce the burden of T2DM.