The increase in cases of diabetes over three decades is linked to an increase in risk factors – Two-thirds of adults in the Americas are overweight or obese, and only 60% get enough exercise.
There could be several explanations for the rise in type 2 diabetes, including the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. The presence of diabetes in people of childbearing age might be another important factor, because maternal diabetes increases risk of diabetes in children.
Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. According to the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control) National Diabetes Statistics Report for 2022 cases of diabetes have risen to an estimated 37.3 million.
Almost 80% of the total adult diabetics are in developing countries. The regions with the highest rates are the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, where 9.2 % of the adult population is affected, and North America (8.4%).
More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.
Diabetes around the world in 2021:
537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes - 1 in 10. This number is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.
The number of people with diabetes rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Prevalence has been rising more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation.
The first known mention of diabetes symptoms was in 1552 B.C., when Hesy-Ra, an Egyptian physician, documented frequent urination as a symptom of a mysterious disease that also caused emaciation. Also around this time, ancient healers noted that ants seemed to be attracted to the urine of people who had this disease.
In 1994, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) diabetes program declared that diabetes had reached epidemic proportions and should be considered as a major public health problem.
The number of people living with diabetes in Australia increased almost 2.8-fold between 2000 and 2021, from 460,000 to 1.3 million.
China is the country with the highest number of diabetics worldwide, with around 141 million people suffering from the disease. By the year 2045, it is predicted that China will have around 174 million people with diabetes.
The number of people living with type 2 diabetes in Australia increased almost 3-fold between 2000 and 2021, from around 400,000 to almost 1.2 million.
There are clear links among lifestyle, inactivity, ageing, obesity, and modernization, that contribute to diabetes. Between 1980, when the first diabetes study was done in Australia, and 2000, the prevalence of obesity almost tripled and the prevalence of diabetes increased from 2.4 to 7.2% [27] (Fig. 3).
Type 2 diabetes is a global crisis that threatens the health and economy of all nations, particularly developing countries. This epidemic is primarily driven by rapid urbanization, nutrition transition, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
Researchers don't fully understand why some children develop type 2 diabetes and others don't, even if they have similar risk factors. However, it's clear that certain factors increase the risk, including: Weight. Being overweight is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes in children.
Diabetes is a common condition that affects people of all ages. There are several forms of diabetes. Type 2 is the most common. A combination of treatment strategies can help you manage the condition to live a healthy life and prevent complications.
Myth: If ants go to where your urine is, it means you have diabetes. Fact: When blood sugar is above the kidney's threshold, sugar tends to spill in the urine making it “sweet”, but it doesn't mean that you have diabetes if there are ants around your urine. Blood tests are necessary to confirm if you have diabetes. 3.
Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes didn't live for long; there wasn't much doctors could do for them. The most effective treatment was to put patients with diabetes on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. This could buy patients a few extra years but couldn't save them.
How common is diabetes? In 2021, an estimated 1 in 20 (just over 1.3 million) Australians were living with diabetes (prevalence) and were registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme - external site opens in new window (NDSS) and Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) state-based registers.
In 1980, less than 5% of Chinese men had diabetes. Now, more than 10% do. This increase has been largely driven by unhealthy lifestyles – diets that are too high in sugar and fat, and people not getting enough physical activity,” said Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Representative in China.
You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are age 45 or older, have a family history of diabetes, or are overweight or have obesity. Diabetes is more common in people who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
Meanwhile, African nations like Benin and The Gambia recorded the lowest prevalence of diabetes in the world. In 2021, African countries had a combined total of 23.6 million adults with diabetes, less than 2% of the continent's population. However, this number is predicted to double to 55 million by 2045.
It's also been found that type 1 diabetes can be triggered by a common virus called an enterovirus. Enteroviruses are a large group of viruses that tend to cause mild illnesses among individuals. There are several different types of enteroviruses, each of them causing different symptoms.