Diabetes Atlas: A new report shows worrying growth of the diabetes pandemic

What is the News?

The 10th edition of the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas has been released.

About International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas

IDF Diabetes Atlas is the authoritative resource on the global impact of diabetes. The atlas was first published in 2000.

The Atlas is produced by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in collaboration with a committee of scientific experts.

What are the key findings of IDF Diabetes Atlas?

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing global health emergencies of the 21st century.

In 2021, one in 10 adults worldwide, which means around 537 million people are now living with diabetes. This is higher than the 463 million adults who lived with the condition in 2019.

Undiagnosed Diabetes: Globally, 88% of adults living with undiagnosed diabetes are in low- and middle-income countries. But even in high-income countries, almost a third of (29%) people with diabetes have not been diagnosed.

Deaths due to Diabetes: Diabetes now ranks among the top 10 causes of global mortality, responsible for an estimated 6.7 million deaths in 2021.

Future Projections on Diabetes: The Atlas projects that 783 million adults will be living with diabetes by 2045. That’s an estimated 46% increase compared to the expected population growth of 20% over the same period.

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious chronic condition that occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin it does produce.

Type 1 diabetes is the major type of diabetes in childhood but can occur at any age. It cannot be prevented. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin to survive.

Type 2 Diabetes accounts for the vast majority (over 90%) of diabetes worldwide. Evidence exists that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed and there is accumulating evidence that remission of type 2 diabetes may sometimes be possible.

Source: This post is based on the article “A new report shows worrying growth of the diabetes pandemic” published in Down To Earth on 7th December 2021.