Egypt Daily News – Diabetics have doubled around the world over the past thirty years, a trend that primarily affects less wealthy countries, according to a study published yesterday, Wednesday, in the journal “The Lancet.”
The study, which was conducted by collecting many studies conducted around the world, stated that about 14% of adults around the world have diabetes during the year 2022, compared to about 7% in 1990.
Taking into account population growth, researchers indicated that more than 800 million people have diabetes, compared to less than 20 million people in 1990.
These numbers include the two main types of diabetes: the first type, which affects patients at a very young age and is often more difficult to treat because it results from a lack of insulin, and the second type, which affects grown-ups because cells do not respond properly to insulin.
But behind these global numbers, the reality varies depending on the country. In wealthy countries such as Western Europe or Japan, diabetes rates tend to be stable, or sometimes even to decline slightly.
On the other hand, the researchers pointed out that “the burden of diabetes for example, about a third of Pakistani women now suffer from diabetes, compared to less than a tenth of their numbers in 1990.
High rates of obesity
The researchers confirmed that type 2 diabetes tends to progress in countries that suffer from high rates of obesity or poor diet.
They also pointed to inequalities in receiving treatment. In sub-Saharan Africa, the study authors reported that only 5% to 10% of adults with diabetes benefit from treatment.
