The leading medical journal The Lancet has published a study containing alarming findings: more than 800 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes, and more than half of them are not receiving treatment.
The study analyzed data from more than 1,000 research projects and included information from approximately 140 million people. Among the co-authors are Croatian physicians who are part of the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). The analysis incorporated data from the EHUH studies as well as data collected during the public health campaign Hunt for the Silent Killer. One of the contributors was Associate Professor Maja Baretić, MD, PhD, from University Hospital Centre Zagreb, who summarized the key findings of the article.
Today, more than 800 million adults are living with diabetes, and more than half of them are not receiving treatment.
Over the past three decades, the global prevalence of diabetes among adults has doubled, rising from approximately 7% to 14%. The largest increases have been observed in low- and middle-income countries, primarily driven by rising obesity rates and the increased consumption of unhealthy foods.
Despite the rapid growth in the number of people affected by diabetes, treatment coverage in these countries remains low. In 2022, as many as 59% of adults with diabetes in low- and middle-income countries—around 450 million people—did not have access to treatment.
In contrast, high-income regions such as North America and Europe saw significant improvements in diabetes treatment coverage by 2022. This has further widened global inequalities in access to diabetes care.
In Croatia, in 2022, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adult women was 6.7%, and 66.9% of these women were receiving treatment. Among adult men, the prevalence was 11.6%, with 52.3% receiving treatment. While the growing prevalence of diabetes in Croatia remains a concern, it is encouraging that access to healthcare and treatment is substantially better today than it was in 1990.
The authors emphasize the urgent need for greater investment in diabetes medications and comprehensive healthcare programs that enable early diagnosis and effective treatment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These findings strongly support the message of the World Diabetes Day campaign: "Diabetes and Well-being" — promoting a better life for everyone living with diabetes, everywhere.
Link to the original article:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02317-1/fulltext
