Providing diabetes care to Arab migrants in the UK: cultural and clinical aspects

Abstract

Arab migrants make up a significant minority of the Muslim population of the UK. As the result of recent conflicts in the Middle East there has been an increase in the number of Arab refugee's seeking asylum in the UK, and therefore this population is expected to increase in the future. Whilst UK Arabs share the increased diabetes and cardiovascular risk that is seen in South Asian migrants, they are distinct in terms of customs and traditions. Culturally appropriate, validated, evidence-based management strategies in order to aggressively control the cardiovascular risk factors in this high risk diabetic population are required.