More than 800 million adults worldwide have diabetes – almost double what previous estimates suggested – and more than half of people over 30 with the disease are not receiving treatment, according to a new study.

According to research published in The Lancet, there were approximately 828 million type 1 and type 2 diabetics aged 18 and over worldwide in 2022. The authors noted that 445 million, or 59 percent, of adults aged 30 and over are not receiving treatment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously estimated that about 422 million people have diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease involving blood sugar levels that can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves and other organs if left untreated.

According to the study, the global rate of diabetes has doubled since 1990, from approximately 7 percent to 14 percent; It has been suggested that this is largely due to rising cases in low- and middle-income countries. However, although there are many more cases, treatment rates in these regions have increased slightly, while the situation has improved in some high-income countries, leading to a widening treatment gap, the authors said.

In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, only 5-10 percent of estimated diabetics receive treatment, said Jean Claude Mbanya, a professor at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon. Treating diabetes with insulin or medications can be expensive.

“Too many people are at risk of serious health complications,” he said.