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Health experts are calling for urgent action to address the global diabetes epidemic as Covid-19 continues to highlight the vulnerability of people with this condition.
Ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14, a team of 44 leading experts from around the world published a report in the Lancet magazine, saying that the lack of evidence-based interventions “is leading to thousands of preventable deaths globally. everyday”.
Diabetes caused 4.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019, according to data from the International Diabetes Federation.
Approximately 463 million people worldwide are thought to have diabetes, with 3.9 million people living with the condition in the UK.
According to experts, diabetes reduces life expectancy in middle-aged people from four to 10 years and independently increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and cancer by up to three times.
Research data on Covid-19 suggests that people with diabetes have at least twice the risk of serious illness or death from Covid-19.
Lead author, Professor Juliana Chan, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: “By protecting our environment, changing our practice and empowering our communities, we can reduce the burden of diabetes as the root cause of many non-medical diseases. transmissible (NCD).
“The diabetes epidemic is a calling that affects us all, as everyone has contributed to the ecosystem in one way or another to fuel the epidemic.
“As such, we all have a collective responsibility to take up this challenge to sustain our environment and to use our limited resources wisely to preserve humanity.
“The global challenge of diabetes transcends political, economic, social and technological domains.”
While there are effective treatments and prevention strategies for diabetes, experts said barriers to supply and access mean that their use is low in most care settings.
As part of the Lancet Commission on Diabetes, the team has put together the best evidence for effective diabetes management.
These include sustained weight reduction in obesity patients of 15 kg or more, which can induce type 2 diabetes remission for up to two years.
Other recommendations include reducing blood sugar levels by 0.9%, systolic blood pressure by 10 mm Hg, and LDL or “bad” cholesterol concentration by 1 mmol / L, which can independently reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The experts also said that implementing a structured lifestyle intervention and using the diabetes drug metformin can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in individuals with 30% to 50% impaired glucose tolerance.
Writing in a related comment, Katie Dain, of the NCD Alliance in Switzerland, said: “We must collectively call upon political leaders and governments to deliver on their UN commitments with decisive, inclusive and responsible leadership and appropriate investments if we are to achieve the 2025 NCD lenses. “
He added: “Regardless of the difficult financial landscape, investments in addressing diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases now will avoid substantial and unsustainable healthcare costs in the future.”
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