Diabetes in Malta

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus has been known to occur in these islands for the past 270 years and has for a long time been considered as one of our major public health problems. It affects a significant part of our 340,000 population and has an important role in many cases of death and disability. The following is a summary of some of the more recent information available on the extent of this disorder and its impact in the Maltese in the last 9 years (1980-1988). The data on prevalence (total number of cases at present), incidence (rate of new cases) burden of complications (morbidity) and mortality has been derived from epidemiological research in the population and from other relatively large studies evaluating local diabetes health care within the framework of the National Diabetes Programme.

The important subject matter inevitably requires different degrees of medical terminology to permit it to be followed by as wide an audience as possible. Diabetes mellitus is a label used for a number of different conditions having in common abnormal tolerance to glucose with high blood sugar levels. There are two main forms of diabetes - type I and type II - which are generally considered as separate entities but which might have some relationship in our semi-isolated population. Although the exact causes of diabetes are yet not clear it seems that certain factors (called environmental) could interact with and light up the genetic tendency for the condition. This inherited susceptibility in the Maltese seems to be strong particularly for type II diabetes as can be seen from the high proportions of adult persons reporting diabetes in their close relatives: grandparents - maternal 39%, paternal 28% mother 30%, father 17%1 sisters and brothers 14%.