The incidence of diabetes in the world has increased dramatically over the past three decades, reaching a critical level. Today, more than 828 million adults suffer from this disease, which is about 14% of the adult population of the planet. This is more than double the rate 30 years ago, when the incidence was about 7%. Such data are provided in a global study published in The Lancet.
The Lancet study found that between 1990 and 2022, the rate of diabetes among adults increased from 7% to 14%. In total, about 828 million people over the age of 18 suffer from diabetes, which is 630 million more than thirty years ago. Meanwhile, India has more than a quarter of all diabetes cases, with an incidence rate of more than 20%.
The epidemic of type 2 diabetes is worsening due to the increase in obesity. According to the World Obesity Federation, about 1 billion adults and 159 million children are obese. As the risk of diabetes increases with age, the aging of the world's population also contributes to its prevalence. At the same time, a healthy lifestyle remains unattainable for many. The World Health Organization notes that in many countries, unhealthy food is available at low cost, convenient and heavily advertised, while healthy food becomes more expensive due to climate change such as droughts and floods. Safe conditions for exercise are also limited in some regions.
Nearly 450 million people with diabetes remain untreated, three and a half times more than in 1990, according to a Lancet study. Many of them have not been diagnosed with diabetes. Although effective antidiabetic drugs exist, millions of people with diabetes in low- and middle-income countries (CIS) do not have access to treatment. The executive director of the World Diabetes Foundation, Leif Fenger Jensen, notes that "complex barriers to access to health services" in the CIS countries complicate the fight against diabetes, which leads to underdiagnosis and limited treatment of diabetes, causing significant losses for both people and society in general.
Improving access to health services can facilitate the prevention and diagnosis of diabetes and make an important contribution to the fight against it. Reducing the cost of medicines, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is another important step. There is also a general consensus on the need for additional measures to reduce obesity.
A study published last month suggests that reducing the amount of sugar children get in the womb and during early childhood can protect them from diabetes and high blood pressure in adulthood.
Joanna Ralston, executive director of the World Obesity Forum, said countries should take a comprehensive approach, "focusing on prevention, public health interventions and policies that limit the impact of unhealthy food marketing, particularly on children."
Let's add
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels) or when the body is unable to use this insulin effectively. Uncontrolled diabetes leads to an increase in blood sugar (hyperglycemia), which over time can cause serious damage to various body systems, including nervous and vascular systems.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body cannot use insulin properly. About 95% of people with diabetes have preventable type 2 diabetes. Excess weight, unbalanced diet, lack of physical activity and genetics can increase the risk of its development.
People with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections or a pump to survive. People with type 2 diabetes may need insulin or blood sugar-lowering drugs, but diet and lifestyle changes can also help maintain normal blood sugar levels.
According to doctors, approximately 5-10% of people in the world with diabetes have type I. It usually develops in children and adolescents. This type of diabetes is believed to be the result of the body's autoimmune response.
