Type 1 Diabetes is On the Rise and What You Need to Know About It
Research is showing that the prevalence of type 1 diabetes is rising worldwide and it could cause a burden to individuals, families, and the healthcare system.
In past decades type 1 diabetes was not as common as it is now. Research is now showing that the number of people with type 1 diabetes is on the rise and could increase significantly in the next twenty years. This research is alarming because diabetes can lead to negative health consequences and possibly even death.
People who have type 1 diabetes have a pancreas that does not make enough insulin which is a hormone that converts food into energy. Type 1 diabetes used to be commonly referred to as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. It usually affects children and young adults but it can happen at any age. There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes.
A recent study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal predicts that type 1 diabetes will increase all around the world by the year 2040. Currently, there are approximately 8.7 million people with type 1 diabetes and it is predicted that by 2040 that number could increase to 17 million.1
Dr. Graham Ogle, professor at the University of Sydney and one of the researchers of the study, told Healthline, “Our results provide a warning for substantial negative implications for societies and healthcare systems. There is an opportunity to save millions of lives in the coming decades by raising the standard of care for type 1 diabetes (including ensuring universal access to insulin and other essential supplies) and increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes to enable a 100 percent rate of diagnosis in all countries.”1
The study suggests that the United States, India, Brazil, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Spain have the highest rates of type 1 diabetes. These counties have over 5 million people living with type 1 diabetes and account for approximately 60% of type 1 diabetes cases. It is estimated that 21% of people with type 1 diabetes are from lower-middle-income or low-income countries.1
In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a press release about research stating that the rate of type 1 diabetes was rising in the United States and the number of people under the age of twenty years old that are experiencing type 1 diabetes had increased by 45%.2 Per Dr. Giuseppina Imperatore from the CDC, “Compared to people who develop diabetes in adulthood, youth are more likely to develop diabetes complications at an earlier age and are at higher risk of premature death.”2
People may wonder why there is such an increase in type 1 diabetes taking place. It is thought that the increase could be due to better testing, diagnosis, management, access to care, and awareness. Professor of medicine at Stanford University Dr. Marilyn Tan told Healthline, “The higher number of people living with type 1 diabetes may also reflect that we are doing a better job at managing diabetes and its complications. Before insulin was readily available, people died soon after a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. With modern insulins, glucose monitoring tools, delivery systems, education, and adjunctive therapies, people with diabetes are living much longer, so the prevalence increases just by having more people with diabetes staying alive.”1
Although living with diabetes has become more manageable it can put a greater burden on those individuals, families, and the healthcare system. Per Dr. Tan, “diabetes doubles the cardiovascular risk and increases the risk of other complications such as eye disease, kidney disease, neuropathy, and infections…Patients with poorly controlled diabetes frequently also fare less well than patients without diabetes.”1 Oftentimes people with diabetes need more healing time, healthcare needs, and expensive medications and diabetes supplies. As Dr. Ogle suggested, more research, awareness, and better access to care are going to be needed to save lives from the complications of type 1 diabetes.
Resources
1. Pratt, E. (2022, October 6). Why type 1 diabetes are expected to double by 2040. Healthline. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/type-1-diabetes-why-cases-are-expected-to-double-worldwide-by-2040#Why-were-seeing-an-increase
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, August 24). New research uncovers concerning increases in youth living with diabetes in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0824-youth-diabetes.html
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