Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and associated complications such as Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN), and Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) among security personnel in the United Arab Emirates.
Methods: Data was gathered from a sample of 166 security professionals, aged 25–65, with a minimum of 8 hours of daily work hours, and at least 2 years of experience, using an observational, cross-sectional study design. The 10 g Semmes Weinstein monofilament testing, The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, and Vibration Pressure Threshold were used for DPN screening followed by the DN4 questionnaire, and the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) was used for PVD assessment. An ethical clearance has been received from the Institutional Research Board (IRB) and informed consent was obtained from all subjects.
Results: The study found a prevalence of 9.6% of DM among security personnel in the UAE. It also found a statistically significant and strong association between DM and DPN (r=0.83, p < 0.001). On the other hand, a moderate correlation was found with PVD (r= 0.56). SPSS version 29 was used for data analysis and the statistical significance was set at p-value ≤0.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence of DM among securities in UAE is 9.6%, which is significant as the total DM prevalence in UAE according to the 2021 report is 12.3%. There is a strong correlation between DM and DPN suggesting that security personnel could be at higher risk of developing “Diabetic Foot Syndrome” due to the nature and demand of the job. In addition, neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease could increase the risk and cause associated foot complications.