A new study by the Lancet has revealed that the number of people with diabetes worldwide has doubled in the last 30 years to more than 800 million. The groundbreaking international study found that rates of diabetes in adults doubled from 1990 to 2022, from about 7 percent to about 14 percent.

The largest increase in cases occurred in low- and middle-income countries. What makes the report significant is that the study is the first global analysis of diabetes rates and treatment across all countries. Scientists at NCD-RisC, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, used data from more than 140 million people aged 18 and over from more than 1,000 studies in different countries. Guard reported.

The Lancet study also highlighted growing health inequalities around the world. Researchers noted that more than half of global diabetes cases are concentrated in four countries. In 2022, more than a quarter of people with diabetes (212 million) lived in India, 148 million in China, 42 million in the USA and 36 million in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Brazil and Indonesia had 25 million and 22 million cases respectively.

Population growth and obesity contributed to the increase

In some countries in the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, more than 25 percent of the male and female population has diabetes. In contrast, in 2022, diabetes rates fell to 2-4 percent in women in France, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden, and 3-5 percent in men in Denmark, France, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Spain. and Rwanda.

Researchers noted that an aging global population as well as an increase in obesity cases means that an increasing number of people are at higher risk of developing diabetes. “Given the disabling and potentially fatal consequences of diabetes, preventing diabetes through healthy diet and exercise is essential for better health worldwide,” said Dr. Ranjit Mohan Anjana, co-first author and president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in India. : Guard.

“Given the disabling and potentially fatal consequences of diabetes, preventing diabetes through healthy diet and exercise is essential for better health worldwide,” he added. Lacent stated that the lack of treatment, despite patented glucose-lowering drugs, is also fueling the situation. inequalities.

Meanwhile, many high-income countries have seen major improvements in treatment rates. The same cannot be said for low-income countries. Under these circumstances, more than half of adults with diabetes aged 30 and over (445 million (59%)) were untreated in 2022.

“Our study highlights widening global inequalities in diabetes, with treatment rates remaining stable in many low- and middle-income countries where the number of adults with diabetes has increased substantially. People with diabetes tend to be younger in low-income countries and, in the absence of effective treatment, may suffer from amputation, heart disease, kidney damage or This is particularly concerning because they are at risk of lifelong complications such as vision loss or, in some cases, Prof Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London, one of the senior authors of the study, said after the report was published.

WHO chief expresses concerns

Responding to the latest findings, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sounded the alarm about the current situation. “We have seen an alarming rise in diabetes over the last three decades, reflecting an increase in obesity combined with the effects of unhealthy food marketing, lack of physical activity and economic challenges,” he said.

“Countries need to take urgent action to control the global diabetes epidemic. “This starts with putting in place policies that support healthy nutrition and physical activity, and most importantly, health systems that ensure prevention, early diagnosis and treatment,” he added.

With input from agencies.