Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Diabetes, a disease on the rise worldwide, requires patients to make constant adjustments to their lifestyle. During the month of Ramadan, diabetic patients face additional challenges. The cultural practices associated with this month modify diet, sleep and physical activity, exposing patients to an increased risk of acute complications or decompensation of chronic complications. This study aims to analyze the prevalence and mechanisms of acute metabolic, cardiovascular and renal complications in diabetics during Ramadan. It also aims to propose approaches for preventing these complications.

Material and methods: We included all patients who had cardiovascular, metabolic and renal complications during Ramadan. we compared with patients who had the same complications but outside of Ramadan.

Results: We included 48 patients who had acute complications, 70% of whom during Ramadan. The study revealed that 89% of patients were at high risk of fasting during Ramadan. During this period, 51% of patients fasted, with only 3% having medical approval. Complications were more frequent during Ramadan, with 49% cardiovascular complications, 43% metabolic complications, and 8% renal complications, compared with 78%, 22%, and 0% respectively outside Ramadan.

Conclusion: Our study highlights a significantly higher prevalence of complications in diabetics during Ramadan compared with the period outside Ramadan. The results underline the importance of fasting risk stratification, therapeutic education, pre-Ramadan medical evaluation and therapeutic adjustment to prevent these complications in diabetic patients.