New figures released have revealed that one million people in the UK are now thought to have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, almost double the previous estimate.
Diabetes Health Intelligence, a strategic programme of Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory, have suggested that 820,000 adults in England with diabetes remain undiagnosed.
Figures have been gained by estimating how many people will have diabetes using data from the Health Surveys for England. They take into account age, sex, ethnic group and deprivation. The projections of future diabetes prevalence also take account of projected increases in the proportion of adults who are overweight and obese.
Diabetes Health Intelligence show that 3.1 million people over the age of 16 have diabetes. This is equal to 7.4 per cent of the adult population.
They estimate 4.6 million people in England (9.5 per cent of the adult population) will have diabetes by 2030. Applying the model to the UK, Diabetes UK have estimated that around 5.5 million people in the UK will have the condition by 2030. There are currently 2.6 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK.
These estimates assume that the pattern of diabetes prevalence in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is the same as for England. Further work is planned to produce more robust estimates of the total number of people with diabetes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Type 2 diabetes can go undetected for ten years or more and around half of people already show signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed. Early diagnosis and effective management of the condition are crucial in reducing the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation and blindness.
The main risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes are being overweight, being over 40 (or over 25 in Black and South Asian people) and having a close relative with diabetes. The symptoms of diabetes include urinating more often and especially at night, increased thirst, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of cuts and wounds and blurred vision.
More info is available from the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory