More than 800 million adults have diabetes globally “nearly double the number suggested by previous estimates”, and more than half of those over 30 with the disease are not receiving treatment, according to a new study .
In 2022, 828 million people over the age of 18 had type 1 or 2 diabetes globally, according to the study published in The Lancet journal. Among adults over 30 years old, 445 million, the equivalent of 59% of them, were not receiving treatment, according to the authors of the study, reports
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously estimated that about 422 million people have diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease related to blood sugar levels that, if left untreated, can affect the heart, blood vessels, nerves and other organs.
The global rate of diabetes has doubled since 1990, from about 7% to 14%, the study suggests, fueled by rising cases in low- and middle-income countries. But even though there are many more cases, treatment rates in those regions have increased very little, the authors said, while in some high-income countries the situation is steadily improving — leading to widening treatment discrepancies.
In areas of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, only between 5% and 10% of the estimated number of people with diabetes receive treatment, said Jean Claude Mbanya, a professor at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon. Treating diabetes, with insulin or drugs, can be expensive.
”A large number are at risk of serious health complications,” he said.
The study was conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration in collaboration with the WHO and is the first global analysis that includes treatment rates and estimates for all countries, the authors said. It was based on over 1,000 studies involving over 140 million people.
Diabetes is defined as a high level of plasma glucose after fasting and high values of glycated hemoglobin, both of which are common diagnostic criteria for this disease, or when diabetes medication is administered. The study authors said both tests were used to avoid underestimating rates in certain areas of the world, particularly in South Asia, where using plasma glucose alone missed the diagnosis of some cases.
Although the study did not separate cases of type 1 diabetes from type 2 diabetes, there is previous research suggesting that most cases of diabetes in adults are type 2, associated with obesity and a poor diet, the authors said.
