A recent study reveals that more than 800 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes, with a significant portion of them not receiving necessary treatment. The study, published in The Lancet, indicates that approximately 828 million people aged 18 and older had diabetes in 2022, with more than half of those over 30 not being treated for the condition.
Diabetes, a chronic disease marked by high blood sugar levels, can lead to severe health complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, and organ failure if left untreated. The findings, derived from over 1,000 studies involving more than 140 million people, were a collaboration between the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report underscores a shocking surge in diabetes cases, which has increased from 200 million in 1990 to nearly 830 million in 2022. The rise has been most notable in low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare systems have struggled to keep up with the growing demand for diabetes care. In contrast, treatment access has improved in some higher-income nations.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed alarm at the findings, stressing that urgent action is required to curb the global diabetes epidemic. He called for policies that promote healthier diets and physical activity, alongside enhanced healthcare systems capable of preventing, diagnosing, and treating the disease.
In sub-Saharan Africa, treatment coverage remains dangerously low, with only 5-10% of people with diabetes receiving proper care. Professor Jean Claude Mbanya of the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon highlighted the significant cost of diabetes treatments, such as insulin and other medications, which often remain out of reach for many.
Countries in Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia have seen notable improvements in diabetes care, with treatment rates rising by 25 to 37 percentage points. However, the WHO warns that the global burden of diabetes-related deaths continues to grow, with 1.6 million deaths directly attributed to the disease in 2021.
The study calls for increased global efforts to address the diabetes crisis, including strengthening public health policies and making treatments more accessible to those in need.
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