Diabetes Epidemic
Burden
of Disease
- 171 million people with diabetes
in 2000
- 366 million people with
diabetes by 2030
- Incidence is set to more
than double in the next 25 years
- Global epidemic resulting
from the spread of the “western lifestyle”
- Diabetes causes about 5%
of all deaths globally each year
The inexorable spread of the
western lifestyle across the world is precipitating
a diabetes epidemic. Diabetes is the most
common human endocrine disease and the term
covers a group of metabolic disorders whose
central feature is elevated blood glucose,
or hyperglycemia. Sustained hyperglycemia
results in the deterioration of multiple tissue
types, particularly vascular tissues, and
may eventually lead to kidney failure, cardiovascular
disease, leg ulcers, stroke, neuropathy and
retinopathy. In 2002 it was estimated that
the direct and indirect cost of diabetes was
$132 billion annually in the US alone.
Diabetes can be divided
into two main patient types:
• Type 1,
or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM),
usually appears before or during puberty.
It is caused by the auto-immune destruction
of insulin-producing pancreatic cells and
is treated by insulin injections and dietary
control. IDDM is a life-threatening disease
but almost all cases are successfully diagnosed
and treated in the developed world.
• Type 2, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus (NIDDM), typically appears after
the age of 30. The disease is caused by an
inability to secrete sufficient insulin or
to respond adequately to it and is treated
by dietary control, exercise, oral anti-diabetic
drugs and insulin, either alone or in combination.
NIDDM is not a life-threatening disease, unless
ignored or left untreated in the long term,
and 40-50% of those with Type 2 diabetes are
probably undiagnosed.
The recent increase in prevalence
of Type 2 diabetes among younger people, often
accompanied by obesity, is a major source
of concern for public health authorities as
it implies significant increases in long-term
healthcare costs. There is no cure for either
IDDM or NIDDM and the effective treatment
for both types hinges upon the tight regulation
of blood glucose levels.
Sources: Wild et al.
(2004), WHO & American Diabetes Association |
