Diabetes has reached epidemic status. The number of adults living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980, growing to 422 million people, with most living in developing countries, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.
Drivers for the dramatic rise in diabetes include overweight and obesity, according to WHO, who marked its annual World Health Day by issuing a call for action on diabetes.
In its first “Global report on diabetes”, WHO highlighted the need to step up prevention and treatment of diabetes. Measures needed include expanding health-promoting environments and reducing diabetes risk factors, such as physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, as well as strengthening national capacities to help diabetes patients manage their conditions.
“If we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink our daily lives: to eat healthily, be physically active, and avoid excessive weight gain,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. “Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes.”
Other key findings from the report:
- The number of diabetes sufferers is growing in all regions of the world. In 2014, 422 million adults (or 8.5 percent of the population) had diabetes, compared with 108 million (4.7 percent) in 1980.
- The epidemic of diabetes has major health and socioeconomic impacts, especially in developing countries.
- In 2014, more than one in three adults were overweight and more than one in 10 were obese.
- Diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012. Higher-than-optimal blood glucose caused an additional 2.2 million deaths by increasing the risks of cardiovascular and other diseases.
- Forty-three percent of these deaths occur before the age of 70 years, and are largely preventable through adoption of policies to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyles and better detection and treatment of the disease.
“Many cases of diabetes can be prevented, and measures exist to detect and manage the condition, improving the odds that people with diabetes live long and healthy lives,” said Dr. Oleg Chestnov, WHO’s assistant director-general for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health. “But change greatly depends on governments doing more, including by implementing global commitments to address diabetes and other NCDs.”