
Common Health Risks and Associated Symptoms of Diabetes
Common Health Risks and Associated Symptoms of Diabetes
Sponsored Content by EKF Diagnostics Aug 2 2017
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects blood glucose control, and has become a growing problem across the world. From 1980 to 2014, the prevalence of diabetes grew from 4.7% to 8.5% worldwide, with the number of individuals affected by this disease increasing from 108 million to 422 million, respectively.1
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It is estimated that the number of people worldwide with diabetes will increase to 642 million by 2040, according to the IDF diabetes atlas, indicating a serious healthcare crisis for both providers and patients in the future.2
In line with this, healthcare costs are also projected to greatly expand, in the same way that it has in recent years. In just a period of 5 years, from 2007 to 2012, the overall healthcare spending associated with diabetes increased by 41%, from $174 billion to $245 billion.3
Diabetes prevalence is mostly seen in developing countries, reflecting a high proportion of the economic burden of this disease. Particularly in Asian countries, there is a high prevalence of diabetes cases and these are likely to grow further.4
In fact, Asian countries have the highest prevalence rates, representing 60% of the global population of people with diabetes, largely due to factors associated with rapid development. The three most common factors related to this increase are industrialization, socio-economic growth and urbanization. 4
In India, diabetes cases are increasing in epidemic proportions,
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