UK diabetes growth doubles in a year
The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in UK has risen by more than 167,000
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Monday, 20, Oct 2008 08:31
The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has risen by more than 167,000 since last year, a leading charity claims.
In a new study published today, Diabetes UK claims that the total number of people suffering from diabetes has risen to almost 2.5 million and last year's rise was double the 2006 to 2007 increase of 83,000.
Around 90 per cent of people in the UK with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, which is strongly linked to lifestyle factors such as being overweight and eating an unhealthy diet.
Today's figures also show that there are now five million people registered as obese in the UK, compared with almost 4.8 million last year.
The largest increase in obesity was seen in Scotland, where a 16.7 per cent rise was witnessed.
Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "These are truly alarming figures. Part of why we have seen such a huge increase can be attributed to improved screening from healthcare services and greater awareness amongst those at high risk of Type 2 diabetes. However, there is no getting away from the fact that this large increase is linked to the obesity crisis.
"Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges facing the UK today. It causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness, and more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined. The NHS already spends £1 million an hour on diabetes.
"The soaring diabetes prevalence will continue to put a massive strain on an already struggling NHS and unless it can respond, people’s health could spiral downwards. We need to do all we can to raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and help people understand how a healthy lifestyle can help reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes."
The charity warns that there are potentially more than half a million people who have Type 2 diabetes in the UK and don't know it.
Diabetes UK warns that the condition can go undiagnosed for up to ten years and 50 per cent of people already have signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed.