Diabetes cases expected to rise 700,000 by end of decade

The number of people with diabetes in Britain is expected to rise by 700,000 by the end of the decade, according to a new analysis by Diabetes UK.

The analysis, based on data from the Yorkshire & Humber Public Health Observatory, shows that 4.4 million people in England, Scotland and Wales are projected to have the condition by 2020. This would be an increase of almost a fifth, and the equivalent of adding almost the combined populations of Liverpool and Newcastle to the current total.

Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented

The vast majority of the extra 700,000 cases would be Type 2 diabetes, which can often be prevented by making healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight. Incidence of Type 1 diabetes, which is not linked to lifestyle, is also rising but scientists do not know for sure why this is the case.

 

Human and financial cost

Diabetes UK has warned that the cost of providing healthcare for the extra 700,000 people would put great financial pressure on the NHS, which is already spending 10 per cent of its entire budget on treating the condition. There would also be a great human cost, as those people developing the condition would be at increased risk of amputation, blindness, kidney failure and stroke, and ultimately of early death.


Read more: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News_Landing_Page/Diabetes-cases-expected-to-rise-700000-by-end-of-decade/