A new study has shown that from the period 1997 to 2003 there was a 74 percent rise in new cases of diabetes in the UK.
The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has revealed that by 2005, more than 4 percent of the UK’s population were classed as having diabetes, which is double the rate of ten years ago.
This study, undertaken by researchers from Spain and Sweden, used data from almost five million medical records.
From 42,642 people who were newly diagnosed with diabetes between 1996 and 2005, just over 1,250 developed the auto-immune condition type 1 diabetes, and more than 41,000 people were diagnosed with type 2, which can be linked to lifestyle.
The study showed that new cases of type 1 diabetes remained fairly constant, new cases of type 2 diabetes however, were constantly on the increase.
The researchers involved in the study have argued that this is due to rising obesity rates in the UK. They say that over the course of the study, the proportion of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were obese increased by a fifth.
Sarah Bone, Chief Executive Officer of DRWF UK says, ‘These figures are not surprising and can be attributed to both the rising obesity statistics in the UK and the improvements in diagnosing the condition earlier. This isn’t just a UK issue and DRWF continues to raise awareness to the condition worldwide’.
Traditionally, type 2 diabetes has appeared in people over the age of 40, but more recently the condition has been appearing in younger people and even children.
Diabetes UK state that there are currently over 2.5 million people in the UK with diabetes and it’s estimated that that there are still more than half a million people who have the condition but don’t know it.
Estimates state that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you are newly diagnosed or are concerned about diabetes please call DRWF on 02392 637808 or email: enquiries@drwf.org.uk for more information.