Research reveals more than 800 million people worldwide have diabetes | Diabetes

The number of people with diabetes has doubled in the past 30 years to more than 800 million people worldwide, according to a landmark international study.

Diabetes rates among adults doubled from about 7% to about 14% between 1990 and 2022, with the biggest increases in low- and middle-income countries, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet. .

This study is the first to provide a global analysis of diabetes prevalence and treatment in all countries. scientists of NCD-RisC In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we used data from more than 140 million people aged 18 and over from more than 1,000 studies in various countries. They applied statistical tools to enable accurate comparisons of prevalence and treatment between countries and regions.

Diabetes is a chronic disease caused when the pancreas does not produce enough (or any) insulin or when the body is unable to effectively use the insulin it does produce. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar levels, which over time can cause serious damage to many systems in the body, especially nerves and blood vessels.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that prevents the body from using insulin properly. More than 95% of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is preventable. In addition to genetic factors, being overweight, having an unhealthy diet, and not getting enough exercise can also increase your risk of developing diabetes.

This study highlights widening health disparities. More than half of the world's diabetes patients are concentrated in four countries. In 2022, more than a quarter (212 million people) of people with diabetes will live in India, 148 million in China, 42 million in the United States, and 36 million in Pakistan. Ta. Indonesia and Brazil had an additional 25 million and 22 million cases, respectively.

In some countries in the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, more than 25% of the female and male populations have diabetes, with the United States (12.5%) and United Kingdom (8.8%) having the most diabetes. was found in research. Diabetes rates in high-income Western countries.

In contrast, diabetes rates in 2022 will be lower at 2-4% for women in France, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden, and 3-5% for men in Denmark, France, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Spain and Rwanda. Ta.

Increasing obesity as the world's population ages means a growing number of people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Ranjit Mohan Anjana is co-lead author; Madras Diabetes Research Foundation “Given the disabling and sometimes fatal consequences of diabetes, preventing diabetes through a healthy diet and exercise is essential to improving health conditions around the world.

“Our findings demonstrate that measures such as subsidies for healthy foods and free healthy school meals can help limit unhealthy foods and make healthy foods more affordable, especially in low-income regions of the world. It highlights the need for more ambitious policies that improve affordability and opportunities for exercise, as well as promoting safe places for walking and exercise, such as free admission to public parks and fitness centres. is.”

Despite the availability of effective, off-patent blood sugar-lowering drugs, a lack of treatment also contributes to inequality, the study found. In many high-income countries, treatment rates have improved significantly, with more than 55% of adults with diabetes being treated by 2022, while in many low- and middle-income countries, the proportion on treatment is Not improved.

As a result, by 2022, more than half of diabetic adults over the age of 30, or 445 million people (59%), will not be receiving treatment.

Lead author of the study, Professor Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London, said: “Our study shows that in many low- and middle-income countries, where the number of adults with diabetes is increasing significantly, treatment rates have stagnated. “This study highlights the widening global inequalities in diabetes.” This is important because people with diabetes in low-income countries tend to be younger and, without effective treatment, are at risk of lifelong complications such as amputation, heart disease, kidney damage and vision loss. is particularly worrying. cases, early death. ”

In response to the findings, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: Lack of exercise and financial difficulties.

“To control the global diabetes epidemic, countries must take urgent action. It starts with enacting policies that support health systems that deliver.”

Chantal Mathieu, President of the European Society of Diabetes, said:[Diabetes] It has reached pandemic proportions and poses a serious threat to both public health and the economy. ”

It added that policymakers “need to adopt prevention strategies, expand access to testing, and support efforts towards better long-term management.”