Country braces for diabetic epidemic
Number of patients 7.1m now, will reach 13.6m by 2040
UNB
The number of people with diabetes in Bangladesh stood at 7.1 million in 2015 putting it among top 10 countries in the world and it will hit 13.6 million by 2040 taking it to the 9th position globally, reports UNB.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Novo Nordisk, a Denmark-based global healthcare company with 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care, came up with the alarming figure ahead of the World Diabetes Day to be observed on Saturday.
CEO of Novo Nordisk Lars Rebien Sorensen, who was also voted the worlds best CEO, IDF President Sir Michael Hirst and Executive Vice President (International Operations) of Novo Nordisk Mike Doustdar shared the latest data on diabetes with UNB and two other media outlets through a teleconferencing from Denmark.
Managing Director of the Novo Nordisk Rajan Kumar coordinated it from its Dhaka office. Commercial Effectiveness Manager of Novo Nordisk Md Kamal Hossain was also present. This years World Diabetes Day 2015 campaign marks the second of a three-year (2014-16) focus on healthy eating and diabetes. Some 415 million adults have diabetes around the world (in 2015) and by 2040 this will rise to 642 million. China is on top of the list followed by India, the USA, Brazil, Russian Federation, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, Japan, and Bangladesh (10th). The number of people with diabetes in China is now 109.6 million which will jump to 150.7 million by 2040. In India, the number is 69.2 million now which will reach 123.5 million by 2040. Pakistan which is not there among top 10 countries right now will have 14.4 million people with diabetes by 2040 to be put on the 8th position, one notch ahead of Bangladesh.
In South East Asia, some 78.3 million people have diabetes (in 2015), while it will be 140.2 million by 2040.
One with diabetes has abnormally high blood glucose levels in his or her body, either because he or she not producing enough insulin or because the body does not respond properly to insulin, according to the IDF. For people living in poverty, the annual cost of diabetes care often exceeds a familys annual income.
IDF President Michael Hirst has called on Prime Ministers and Finance Ministers around the world to adopt fiscal policies on unhealthy food products, employ the revenues generated to improve type 2 diabetes prevention and the healthcare provided to all people with diabetes and those at risk.
He said the International Diabetes Federation will continue to lead on the need to access healthy food to reduce the global burden of diabetes and save billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs. Both local and global leaders must act on diabetes, Michael Hirst added.
Led by the IDF, World Diabetes Day unites the global diabetes community in a powerful voice for diabetes awareness and advocacy, engaging individuals and communities to bring the diabetes epidemic into the public spotlight with a slogan - Halt the Diabetic Epidemic. Today, nearly two-thirds of all people with type 2 diabetes live in urban areas, and this urban diabetes represents an increasing economic burden for health systems around the world.
With a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, the need of the hour is to understand the driving factors behind the rise of diabetes in cities, to share that knowledge and apply it to real-world actions to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes.
In Bangladesh, the number of both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients among children is on the rise, according to experts who advise addressing this through carrying out awareness campaigns, changing food habits, education and ensuring access to proper care. The IDF conveyed some key messages ahead of the day that include - Act to change your life today - Healthy eating is an important part of managing all types of diabetes and Act to change the world tomorrow - Access to affordable healthy food is essential to reducing the global burden of diabetes and ensuring global sustainable development. Delayed diagnosis means that many people with type 2 diabetes suffer from at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes.
A healthy lifestyle could prevent up to 70 per cent of type 2 diabetes, healthy eating can help reduce risks. A healthy diet containing leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, lean meat, unsweetened yogurt and nuts can help reduce a persons risk of type 2 diabetes and reduce complications in people with diabetes. More people will develop and live with type 1 diabetes. While type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, a healthy lifestyle is an important part of effective management of the disease. Encouraging healthy eating habits in young children is the key to halting the rise of the diabetes epidemic. By ensuring the health of future generations, one takes a step toward ensuring sustainable development. Access to affordable healthy food is essential to reducing the global burden of diabetes and ensuring global sustainable development.
Global health spending to treat diabetes and manage complications was estimated to cost USD 612 billion in 20141. Up to 11 per cent of total healthcare expenditure in every country across the globe could be saved by tackling the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Up to 70 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 150 million cases by 2035.
The number of people with diabetes in low- and middle-income countries will continue to grow, posing a threat to sustainable development.
Children with type 1 diabetes depend completely on insulin every day and a number of annual childrens camps have been held since 2009 aiming to educate children with type 1 diabetes about how to live with the condition.
