The 8th Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance Conference: January 23–24, 2020, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The 8th Ramadan and Diabetes International Alliance Annual Conference was held over 2 days on January 24th and 25th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The program included six sessions in total. The three states of the art lectures addressed (a) an overview of the current knowledge on insulin therapy during Ramadan, (b) journey of diabetes from EPIDIAR, to CREED and ending by DAR-MENA-T2DM, and (c) feasibility and management of fasting after bariatric surgery. Sessions on the 1st day considered four themes spanning from the impact of Ramadan on physical and mental well-being, efficacy and safety of newer antidiabetic medications during Ramadan, adherence to medications for diabetes and hypothyroidism, and the safety of Ramadan fasting in high-risk groups (cardiovascular and renal). The 2nd day started with a session on bridging the gap between physicians and religious scholars, including a live question and answer session “ask the imam.” The rest of the sessions covered management of type 1 diabetes during Ramadan, patients and doctors perceptions of fasting from various regions and finally a scientific session on nutrition and weight management during Ramadan. RaD activities seem to develop progressively in variety and quality of content and also far-reaching audiences and participants.