Study In ten years, it is estimated that 700 million people will have diabetes

More and more diabetes cases in low and middle income countries
At World Health Day 2016, World Health Organization (WHO) physicians were able to make at least a safe prediction: the original goal of keeping diabetes prevalence at the same level in 2010 as it was in 2010 can not be achieved. The number of people with diabetes will continue to increase. By 2025, according to WHO data, the number of adult diabetics worldwide is expected to exceed 700 million.

Diabetes is on the rise worldwide. By 2025, there are likely to be over 700 million adults suffering from diabetes. Researchers from Imperial College London found in a recent study that by the year 2025, approximately 12.8 percent of men and 10.4 percent of women will have diabetes. The scientists published the results of their study in the journal "The Lancet".

Diabetes is a widespread disease all over the world. Researchers suggest that by 2025, more than 700 million people will have diabetes. (Image: tashatuvango / fotolia.com)

More and more people around the world are suffering from diabetes
The new global assessment of the development of diabetes found that the number of adult diabetics in 2014 was 422 million. In 1980, the value was still at 108 million diabetics worldwide, the researchers say. The forecast for the year 2025 also shows no improvement. It is expected that over 700 million people around the world will be suffering from diabetes until then, explain the physicians. Among other things, the disease increases the risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke by two to four times.

In the Middle East and North Africa, about 15 percent of people have diabetes
Between 1980 and 2014, the prevalence of diabetes in men doubled, according to researchers in 120 countries. In women, diabetes has doubled in 87 countries. Nowhere has it been observed during this period that diabetes rates have dropped significantly, the experts add. In 1980, more women suffered from diabetes than men. By 2014, more men were already affected by diabetes. On the islands of Polynesia and Micronesia, one in four adults has diabetes, the researchers report. This corresponds to an increase of about 15 percent since 1980. In the countries of the Middle East and North America, a total of almost 15 percent of all people are affected.

Diabetes causes incredibly high economic costs worldwide
In 1980, European countries with higher incomes were at the forefront of diabetes. These included Germany, Italy and the UK, for example. In 2014, they had already lost their "leadership", and low- to middle-income countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico and Egypt now have more diabetics, explains lead author Professor Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London. In 2014 alone, experts estimated the economic cost of diabetes to be about $ 825 billion. Countries such as China, the USA, Japan and India had the largest economic costs. However, about 60 percent of all costs are in low and middle income countries. There, the prevalence of diabetes increases the most, explain the experts.

Health systems need to rethink and intervene more effectively
The ever increasing number of adult diabetics is also due to the growth of the world's population and increasing life expectancy. But the large increase in diabetes seems to be triggered mainly by the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the widespread lack of exercise, suspected the medical profession. The authors pointed out that some of the areas where the incidence of diabetes has increased significantly are populated by people with increased genetic susceptibility to diabetes. Or sufferers would experience in their childhood growth patterns that entail a higher risk of developing diabetes in adulthood. Health systems should be more targeted and effective to prevent the growing risk of diabetes in adults, researchers suggest. If current trends continue, the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for 2025 are unlikely to be fully implemented. (As)