Diabetes in 2013. The new figures

Abstract

The latest edition of IDF’s Diabetes Atlas shows that diabetes is on the rise all over the world and countries are struggling to keep pace. Today, there are 382 million people living with diabetes rocketing to 592 million by 2035. This means one person in ten will have the disease in less than 25 years. The misconception that diabetes is ‘a disease of the wealthy’ is still held by some – to the detriment of desperately needed funding to combat the pandemic. But the evidence published in the IDF Diabetes Atlas published on World Diabetes Day, November 14, disproves that delusion: a staggering 80% of people with diabetes live in lowand middle-income countries, and the socially disadvantaged in any country are the most vulnerable to the disease. Today’s emerging diabetes hotspots include countries in the Middle East, Western Pacific, sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia where economic development has transformed lifestyles. These rapid transitions are bringing previously unheard of rates of obesity and diabetes; developing countries are facing a firestorm of ill health with inadequate resources to protect their population. By the end of 2013, diabetes will have caused 5.1 million deaths and cost USD 548 billion in healthcare spending. Despite the grim picture painted by the new figures, we already have the knowledge and expertise to begin creating a brighter future for generations to come.