“An aging population and rising levels of obesity mean that the number of people with diabetes has increased dramatically”.
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“Many cases of diabetes can be prevented, and measures exist to detect and manage the condition, improving the odds that people with diabetes live long and healthy lives”, said Dr. Oleg Chestnov, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for NCDs and Mental Health, also in a statement. The increase coincides with growing rates of obesity – in the USA and Britain, two-thirds of people are now overweight or obese.
While diabetes has increased around the world, it affects lower- and middle-income people more often than wealthier populations, according to the report. Higher-than-optimal blood glucose caused an additional 2.2 million deaths in the same year by increasing the risks of cardiovascular and other diseases. The increase in the number of those who suffer from it are obvious in the regions of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Pointing out that in 2012 there were an estimated 2.2 lakh diabetes related deaths in India, Indian Society of Clinical Research or ISCR said that there is an urgent need to focus on prevention, early detection and treatment of diabetes to effectively combat the chronic disease.
The complications of diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and lower limb amputation.
Diabetes affected 422 million people in 2014.
The Diabetes Association of Thailand, in an interesting awareness campaign, commissioned Thai designer Nattakong Jaengsem to come up with a series that will make people think twice before gobbling up that brownie.
The HPA said it has launched a Diabetes Shared Care Program in 22 cities and counties across the nation, bringing in specialized and certified medical teams to treat and follow-up on patients with diabetes, giving them periodic examinations, including glycated hemoglobin, fasting lipid profile, microalbumin tests and fundus photography.
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The WHO report said the organization is updating its guidelines on fat and carbohydrate intake, but said adults can reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes through regular exercise and a healthy diet that cuts back on sugary foods.
