The World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement on Wednesday raised the alarm over the skyrocketing number of diabetes cases around the world.
The global health body noted that global cases of diabetes have skyrocketed, surpassing 800 million adults, a four-fold increase since 1990, as revealed by a recent study published in The Lancet on World Diabetes Day.
The study conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) with support from WHO highlights the alarming scope of the diabetes epidemic and emphasizes the urgent need to intensify global efforts to address rising disease rates and growing disparities in treatment, especially in the Netherlands and the Netherlands. middle income countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said there has been an increase in the number of diabetes cases over the past three decades.
He said: “We have seen an alarming rise in diabetes over the past three decades, reflecting the rise in obesity, compounded by the impacts of unhealthy food marketing, lack of physical activity and economic hardship.
“To control the global diabetes epidemic, countries must take urgent action. This begins with enacting policies that support healthy diets and physical activity and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection and treatment.”
Diabetes prevalence
According to the researchers, between 1990 and 2022, the global prevalence of diabetes among adults increased from 7 percent to 14 percent, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experiencing the most significant increases, adding that despite With this alarming increase, treatment access in low- and middle-income countries remains woefully inadequate.
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They reported that in 2022, approximately 450 million adults aged 30 years and older represented 59 percent of all adults with diabetes and lacked treatment. This represents a 3.5-fold increase in the number of untreated people since 1990. Most worryingly, 90 percent of these untreated adults reside in low- and middle-income countries.
The study also found significant regional disparities in diabetes prevalence: WHO's Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions reported notably high rates, affecting approximately 20 percent of adults aged 18 years and older.
Worryingly, these regions, along with the African region, have alarmingly low diabetes treatment coverage. Less than 40 percent of adults with diabetes in these areas receive glucose-lowering medications, highlighting the critical need to improve access to diabetes care.
Answers
In response to the growing burden of diabetes around the world, WHO said it is launching a new global monitoring framework to track key indicators such as glycemic control, hypertension and access to essential medicines.
It is believed that this standardized approach will allow countries to prioritize resources effectively, driving significant improvements in diabetes prevention and care.
The global health body said its Global Diabetes Pact, launched in 2021, aimed to reduce the risk of diabetes and ensure equitable access to comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.
This initiative also focuses on the prevention of type 2 diabetes by addressing obesity, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.
Additionally, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution on diabetes in 2021, urging member states to prioritize the prevention, diagnosis, control and management of risk factors such as obesity.
The statement reads in part: “In 2022, WHO set five global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these targets is to ensure that 80 percent of people with diagnosed diabetes achieve good glycemic control. “Today’s statement underscores the scale and urgency of the action needed to advance efforts to close the gap.”
According to the world body, the year 2025 is shaping up to be a turning point in the fight against diabetes around the world with the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which will take place take place in September, which brings together heads of state and government to address the alarming rise in diabetes cases.
This meeting is a critical opportunity for world leaders to come together and set a powerful vision to prevent and control NCDs, including diabetes, they revealed, adding that the stakes are high as someone under the age of 70 dies from a ENT every two seconds.
He noted that the meeting aims to address the root causes of NCDs, improve access to screening and treatment, and strengthen global health systems, including primary health care.
By aligning efforts towards the 2030 and 2050 goals, they said high-level meetings can stop the rise of the diabetes epidemic and save countless lives.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose level is too high due to insufficient insulin production or ineffective use of insulin.
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to produce enough insulin, requiring daily administration of insulin, while type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not use insulin effectively, leading to high levels of insulin. high blood sugar if untreated and gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy, causing hyperglycemia, but usually resolves after childbirth.
Common symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst and urination, blurred vision, fatigue, and numbness or tingling in the feet or hands.
Early diagnosis is crucial to prevent complications and treatment options include medications, insulin injections and lifestyle modifications.