More than 800 million adults worldwide are living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, with the global diabetes rate doubling from 1990 to 2022, according to findings published in The Lancet in honour of World Diabetes Day. The greatest increase occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
The global diabetes rate among adults, both men and women, rose from about 7% in 1990 to approximately 14% in 2022. Over a quarter of patients (212 million) lived in India in 2022, with 148 million in China, followed by the USA (42 million), Pakistan (36 million), Indonesia (25 million), and Brazil (22 million).
Countries with the highest diabetes rates (25% or more of the population) in 2022 were Pacific island nations, the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The rate in the USA was 11.4% for women and 13.6% for men. The study identifies obesity and poor diet as major contributors to the rising Type 2 diabetes rates.
Countries with the lowest diabetes rates in 2022 included those in Western Europe and Eastern Africa for both genders, and in Japan and Canada for women. For example, diabetes rates in 2022 were only 2-4% among women in France, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden, and 3-5% among men in Denmark, France, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Spain, and Rwanda.
During the same period, diabetes treatment rates remained stagnant and low in many low- and middle-income countries where diabetes rates rose drastically. This resulted in 445 million adults aged 30 and older globally (59% of diabetic patients) remaining untreated in 2022, a number 3.5 times greater than in 1990.
In contrast, those living in Canada, South Korea, Central and Western Europe, and parts of Latin America, East Asia, and the Pacific experienced substantial improvements in diabetes treatment rates from 1990 to 2022. The highest treatment rates were recorded in Belgium, where 86% of women and 77% of men received treatment. As a result, the gap between countries with the highest and lowest diabetes treatment coverage has widened considerably. In certain sub-Saharan African nations, only 5-10% of adults with diabetes received treatment in 2022.
The study’s authors highlight the urgent need for funding diabetes medicines and comprehensive programmes to allow early detection and effective treatment in low- and middle-income countries.
Read full study here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02317-1/fulltext
Also read: Pediatric stroke – new international study with Greek doctor’s contribution
Source: ANA-MPA
