An estimated 350 million people are suffering from diabetes worldwide, says an international study published in ‘The Lancet’ medical journal.
Researchers from Imperial College London and Harvard University analysed data from 2.7 million people, aged 25 and over, across every continent, using statistical techniques to project a worldwide figure, to estimate diabetes prevalence.
They claim the total number of people with diabetes - which can be fatal - has risen from 153 million to 347 million in the past three decades, considerably higher than a 2009 estimate of 285 million.
Across the three decades, the proportion of men with diabetes rose from 8.3 per cent to 9.8 percent. The proportion of women with diabetes increased even sharper, from 7.5 per cent to 9.2 per cent, an increase of 23 per cent, the study has revealed.
Prof Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, the lead researcher, said: “Diabetes is one of the biggest causes of morbidity (illness) and mortality worldwide.
“Our study has shown that diabetes is becoming more common almost everywhere in the world. This is in contrast to blood pressure and cholesterol, which have both fallen in many regions. Diabetes is much harder to prevent and treat than these other conditions.”