Diabetes

Trends

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic, now affecting close to 250 million people. It is one of the world’s most prevalent non-communicable diseases: 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. The life expectancy of a diabetic is reduced on average by 10 years.

Diabetes is strongly associated with obesity and increasingly affects children and adolescents. Its long-term complications, which include invalidity and blindness, can prove very costly and are estimated to account for 6-8% of European and American healthcare budgets. Worldwide prevalence is of the order of 6% in 2007 and expected to have increased to 7.1% by 2025, representing 380 million people.

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