The Alarming Statistics on Diabetes

The International Diabetes Federation has recently released very staggering and alarming numbers on the current diabetes sufferers the world over. According to their study, the number of diabetics has risen from thirty million to two hundred forty six million over the past twenty years. Their study further reveals that seven out of the top ten countries with the highest number of diabetics are found in the developing world. The top developing countries with the highest percentage of diabetes sufferers are in China and in India. The highest density of population sufferers are found in the Caribbean and the Middle East, with their population numbering from twelve to twenty percent of their total populations.

 

 

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control in 2005 has determined that there are twenty one million Americans, or roughly seven percent of the total population, suffer from diabetes. This is only the tip of the iceberg for as much as one third of these diabetics do not even know that they suffer from the disease. Much worse, there are forty one million people who are predisposed or prone to contract this dreaded disease. Their condition is named as pre-diabetes, which left unmanaged would develop into Type II diabetes and other conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

 

The study of the International Diabetes Federation in 2006, as presented by its President, Professor Martin Silink, has determined that diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the risk increases with age. In this latest study, over 21% of Americans aged sixty or more are more prone to have disease compared to only 2% for people aged between twenty to thirty nine years of age and ten percent for those between the ages of forty to fifty nine years of age. The study further reported that the United States spends about $132 billion dollars each year for the disease, where $92 billion is in direct medical cost and the rest is due to losses for productivity and other costs.

 

The Situation in the Third World

 

The numbers of diabetics in the third world is much worse than in the developed world. In many developing areas in Asia and Africa, diabetes is a death sentence. In developed countries, diabetes sufferers have access to insulin, which helps in the regulation of the blood glucose levels in the body. In Africa, a diabetes sufferer does not have this opportunity to have the insulin. In a year, the African may die. In a developing country like Mali, the cost of insulin is the hurdle for diabetes sufferers. At most, a diabetic in Mali would die within two years.

 

There are many factors behind the fast increase in the number of diabetics in the world. The three main factors that determine the presence of the disease are lifestyle, diet and genetic predisposition. The rapid modernization and industrialization allows the individual more time for leisure thus lessening physical activity. This leads to increased food consumption leading to weight gain and obesity. This takes its toll on the body by stressing the body’s organs, which includes the necessary insulin to regulate the amount of blood sugar. This leads to Type II diabetes and it is borne by the progress of men.

 

The Analysis of Statistics

 

There are two types of diabetics, the first being Type I diabetes or also known as juvenile diabetes. Here, the body is unable to produce the hormone insulin as the body kills the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. The second type is called Type II diabetes or diabetes mellitus. This is also called onset diabetes because the body is unable to produce the requisite amount of insulin to process the oversupply of glucose in the bloodstream. This oversupply of glucose leads to many conditions that weaken and lead to organ failure.

 

Between the developed countries and the developing countries, the numbers of diabetes sufferers are different. In developed countries, there is a greater prevalence of Type II diabetes compared to the developing world’s numbers. This is because the diet of the developed world s rich in carbohydrates when digested becomes glucose in the body. With the modern conveniences of the developed world, the sedentary lifestyle has become the way of life for the Westerner. The body is unable to process the excess glucose in the body thus leading to complications within the body. The pancreas is unable to sustain the high levels of insulin needed, which leads to cell and organ degeneration.

 

In developing countries, the lack of diagnostic facilities is one of the major causes for the proliferation of the disease. The numbers of juvenile diabetes is one of the causes for deaths in many diabetes sufferers in the third world. Adult onset diabetes is not as prevalent compared to the onset diabetes numbers in the first world.

 

The Way to Curb the Statistics for the Future

 

There are ways to combat the spread of diabetes, be it juvenile or onset diabetes. It need not be as expensive as what the United States spends yearly on diabetes care and medication. The cornerstone of this thrust must be prevention and here are the steps to go about curbing the statistics on diabetes.

 

• Get tested. Testing need not be an expensive activity as many hospitals provide a myriad of tests to determine predisposition for diabetes, the occurrence of pre-diabetes or the actual contraction of the disease.
• Eat Healthy. One of the preventable causes of diabetes is diet management. Type II diabetes has been said to be exclusively caused by poor diet rich in carbohydrates. By curbing on the ingestion of carbohydrates and instead have a protein rich and high fiber diet makes for the prevention of the development of diabetes as a disease.
• Exercise Regularly. By making exercise as part of your daily routine, you end up burning more glucose in the body that effectively lowers the supply in the body. This helps the body in the glut of glycogen and makes you healthy and well as a whole.

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Tagged as: Developed World, Diabetes Statistics, Third World