Around 20 percent of people in the United Arab Emirates suffer from gastric problems like acid reflux, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome due to obesity and poor diets, which are also being identified as one of the reasons a high proportion of people are suffering from fatty liver, The National UAE published.
The author of the article, Anam Rizvi, quoted Dr. Atul Chawla, a gastroenterology specialist at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, as one of the experts that is drawing attention to obesity’s costs and to “immediately and effectively” addressing a disease that can compromise “UAE’s development” — an issue that may also impact other populations throughout the world.
The physician noted that the number of obesity cases and related diseases are tending to rise, and suggested that, “more public awareness is needed about these lifestyle diseases,” especially when the same trend is gaining ground among younger people, as some of Dr. Chawla’s patients who are only twelve years of age.
The same idea was echoed by another specialist, Dr. Kaiser Raja, a consultant in gastroenterology and liver diseases at Aster DM Healthcare, who has been noting a growing number of teenagers “citing problems such as constipation and diarrhea.”
Dr. Raja also calculates that more children will develop gastric issues due to obesity namely due to the onset of fatty livers, a worrying fact considering this disease, which most of the time is asymptomatic, with the exception of a light discomfort, but can eventually evolve into more serious conditions.
“Young people suffering from a fatty liver tend to ignore it as the disease has very few symptoms. However, later in life it may evolve into an advanced liver problem,” he said to The National.
To prevent future gastric problems, the experts advise regular checks on cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and liver enzymes for people with a Body Mass Index above 25. People should also check their waist measurements regularly to assess if the amount of fat in their abdomen is too high — more than 34.7 inches for women and 40.2 for men.