The Burden of Diabetes and Use of Diabetes Care in Humanitarian Crises in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Human suffering arising out of disaster or conflict includes death and disability from noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, which have largely been neglected in humanitarian crises. The objectives of this paper were to examine the evidence on the burden of diabetes, utilization of health services, and access to care for people with diabetes among populations affected by humanitarian crises in lowand middle-income countries and identify research gaps for future studies We performed a review of the literature on this topic published between 1992 and 2018. The results highlight that the burden of diabetes in humanitarian settings is not being captured, clinical guidance is lacking, and suggest diabetes is not being adequately addressed. Crisis-affected populations with diabetes face enormous constraints in accessing care, primarily due to high medical costs. Further research is needed to characterize the epidemiology of diabetes in humanitarian settings and develop simplified, cost-effective models of care to improve the delivery of diabetes care in the wake of global disasters.