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DIABETES
TrendsDiabetes is becoming a worldwide epidemic, and is now known to affect more than 246 million people*. It is the fourth or fifth cause of death in most developed countries and is making rapid inroads in many developing and newly industrialised nations. It is strongly associated with obesity and increasingly affects children and adolescents. Over half the diabetics in the world are believed to be undiagnosed. If nothing is done to slow its advance, the number of sufferers will exceed 333 million by 2025. Health administrations around the world are looking to Point of Care solutions to manage this huge and ever growing burden of diabetes diagnosis and monitoring. * Diabetes Atlas - http://www.eatlas.idf.org The life expectancy of a diabetic is reduced on average by 10 years. The long term consequences of the disease, which include invalidity and blindness, can prove very costly and are estimated to account for 3-6% of European and North American healthcare budgets. In a recent report by the US Diabetic Association, the annual bill in the US was estimated to be $132 billion. |
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