Fix treatment gaps, stall diabetes surge

Diabetes is emerging as a silent killer across the world, posing a serious threat to health and quality of life in many ways. People in all parts of the world are increasingly prone to it, though there are variations in incidence.

A report in the medical journal The Lancet has provided some details about the relative incidence of the disease across countries. As the first global analysis of trends in both diabetes rates and treatment in over 150 countries, it has useful information which should help in the campaign against the disease.

The number of diabetics has increased four times – from an estimated 200 million adults in 1990 to about 830 million – and it is abnormal by the standards of a non-infectious disease. The increasing incidence of the disease has genetic as well as lifestyle-related reasons.

India is the diabetes capital of the world with 212 million people afflicted with it. It is the highest disease burden in the world, and one in four persons with diabetes in the world is from India.

China comes second with 148 million. While the number of cases increases at a high rate in the country, treatment is not keeping pace with it. The report says that fewer than three in 10 diabetics currently receive adequate treatment. Diagnosis is poor because there are not many external symptoms in the beginning, and treatment is often inadequate.

Treatment has improved in the last three decades. While over 21% of women and 25% of men received treatment in 1990, the numbers rose to 28% and 29% respectively in 2022. Nearly 30% of those with untreated diabetes in the world are in India. It used to be called a rich man’s disease but is now common among all classes of people. Poorer countries are more vulnerable, and the disease is spreading faster in those countries than in the richer world.

The prevalence rate reported for India in the study is much higher than the rate reported by independent researchers in the country. This is because the methodology is different, but the study provides more reliable results.

Diabetes can pose serious health problems to the nation and it is necessary to take it more seriously. It can cause many health issues related to the heart, kidneys and other vital organs.

Experts say that diabetes cannot be altogether avoided because life expectancy is improving, but there should be better and more effective strategies to counter it. It is necessary to create better awareness among the people on the need to avoid unhealthy food, to do regular exercises, and to adopt healthy lifestyles.