Around 14.6 percent of adults in Kuwait have high blood glucose levels, the Ministry of Health (MoH) revealed on Wednesday, citing a study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a ceremony to mark the ‘World Diabetes Day’, head of the MoH’s media office Ghalia Al-Mutairi noted that around 6.1 percent of adults have been diagnosed with blood disorders. Moreover, she revealed that diabetes accounted for 4 percent of the total of deaths in Kuwait in 2012, adding that the disease is prevalent in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.

The number of diabetics in the world has quadrupled since 1980, the result of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, Mutairi added. She also highlighted the need for diabetics to undergo regular medical tests to help treat the disease.