‘Over 24 million diabetic in Africa, 800 million-plus globally’
15 November 2024 |
6:18 am
More than 800 million adults have diabetes worldwide – almost twice as many as previous estimates have suggested. More than half of those over 30 years of age, who have the condition, are not receiving treatment, according to a new study.
New report shows Sub-Saharan Africa less treated
More than 800 million adults have diabetes worldwide – almost twice as many as previous estimates have suggested. More than half of those over 30 years of age, who have the condition, are not receiving treatment, according to a new study.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that over 24 million adults are living with the disease in Africa alone, while 12 million others remain undiagnosed.
The study published in The Lancet found that the global prevalence of diabetes doubled since 1990 to 14 per cent from about seven per cent, and the authors suggest the increase has been driven largely by rising cases in low- and middle-income countries.
Although there are far more cases, treatment rates in those regions have barely increased, the authors said, while things have improved in some higher-income countries – leading to a widening treatment gap.
In 2022, there were around 828 million people aged 18 years and older with Type 1 and 2 diabetes worldwide, the study found. Among adults aged 30 years and older, 445 million (or 59 per cent) were not receiving treatment, the authors said.
WHO had previously estimated that about 422 million people had diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease involving blood sugar levels, which can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves and other organs if untreated. Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated that the rise documented in the study was alarming.
“To bring the global diabetes epidemic under control, countries must urgently take action,” he said, including policies supporting healthy diets and physical activity, as well as health systems that can prevent, detect and treat the condition.
Meanwhile, a study recently presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024 Trusted Source suggests that people with chronic kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes or both may face an elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk eight to 28 years earlier than those without these conditions.
Researchers used simulated patient profiles to determine how risk factors associated with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome interact with age.
These results, although yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, may inform earlier detection and intervention strategies in CVD prevention. Both chronic kidney disease and Type 2 diabetes raise this risk and are part of the four elements of CKM syndrome.
MARKING the 2024 World Diabetes Day (WDD), yesterday, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said the number of people living with diabetes in the region might rise to 54 million by 2045 if urgent interventions were not evolved to address the huge health challenge,
which is the highest projected increase globally.
Moeti described diabetes as a chronic life-long disease that leads to uncontrolled blood sugar levels that come as ‘the body can no longer produce or use the insulin it produces efficiently’.She said, “In the African Region alone, more than 24 million adults are living with diabetes, half of whom remain undiagnosed. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney failure, lower limb amputation, and eye disease that can result in blindness.
“Without urgent interventions, predictions are that the number of people living with diabetes in Africa will rise to 54 million by 2045, the highest projected increase globally. This poses a significant dual health and economic burden, including catastrophic spending by individuals to control their disease.”
Moeti lamented that Africa had the lowest investment rate in diabetes care worldwide, at only one per cent of the region’s health expenditure, adding that the health systems are also traditionally designed to deal with acute, infectious diseases, without sufficient attention paid to chronic diseases like diabetes.
She stated that this year’s theme, ‘Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps’ emphasised the imperative of a collaborative approach to the ‘silent killer’ disease prevalence which she said was complicated by multiple drivers, including urbanisation, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.
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