Diabetes cases are becoming more common worldwide

The frequency of diabetes has doubled worldwide over the past thirty years, a trend that primarily affects less wealthy countries, shows a study published Wednesday, November 13, 2024 in the Lancet.

According to this work, carried out by compiling a large number of studies previously carried out in most countries of the world, diabetes affected around 14% adults worldwide in 2022, compared to around 7% in 1990.

Taking into account population growth, researchers estimate that more than 800 million people have diabetes, up from fewer than 200 million in the early 1990s.

Nearly 1/3 of Pakistani women are diabetic. This was less than a tenth in 1990.

These figures include the two main forms of diabetes: type 1, which affects patients from a very young age and is often more difficult to treat because it is directly caused by an insulin deficiency, and type 2, which affects relatively elderly people because of a loss of sensitivity to insulin.

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Behind these global estimates, the reality is different depending on the country. In rich countries, such as those in Western Europe or Japan, the frequency of diabetes tends to stabilize, or sometimes even decline slightly.

On the other hand, "the burden of diabetes (...) is increasingly shifting to low- and middle-income countries", the researchers note. For example, nearly a third of Pakistani women are now diabetic, compared to less than a tenth in 1990.

Progress in Mexico

The researchers point out that type 2 diabetes tends to increase in countries where obesity is increasingly common, as is poor diet.

They also highlight inequalities in treatment. While diabetes is increasing in less wealthy countries, this is not necessarily the case in the share of the population treated for the disease.

Thus, in sub-Saharan Africa, the authors estimate that only 5% to 10% of diabetic adults benefit from treatment.

Although some developing countries, such as Mexico, are performing well in treating their populations, the overall trend is "a widening global gap between the prevalence of diabetes and its treatment," the authors conclude.