Why Diabetes Is Becoming An Epidemic

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by increased blood glucose levels. It is a chronic, complex and dangerous disease affecting nearly 347 million people worldwide. Approximately, 30 million people suffer from diabetes in the US and this number is expected to triple by 2050. Every day nearly 4,000 diabetics are diagnosed in the US. Elsewhere, China has 138 million people affected with diabetes.

Actually, the number of diabetics has doubled over a 30 year period of 1978-2008. Of this, 70% of the diabetic cases can be accounted for by the increase in population. The remaining 30% of the diabetics have come into the picture as a result of altered lifestyles resulting in obesity. According to the WHO, non communicable chronic diseases are the leading killers in the world. Of these, diabetes is the seventh leading killer. The medical cost for the nations is also going to escalate as a result of the diabetic epidemic. For every $10 spent on medical treatment, $1 goes towards diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease with many faces, affecting people in several ways. Several tissues are affected. For example, diabetes may drastically increase the risk for heart disease. Renal, retinal and neural problems may set in. Wound healing is one of the processes severely affected in diabetes and amputations are frequently come across.

Type 1 diabetes is relatively rare and is due to the destruction of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. This form of diabetes accounts for only 5% of the diabetics. This is, in a way, fortunate because type 1 diabetes strikes at a young age and is autoimmune in nature. The onset of type 1 diabetes also cannot be prevented. Control of the disease is not easy and survival is possible only with insulin. In contrast, type 2 diabetes is the major form of diabetes and accounts for nearly 95% of the diabetic cases.

Although type 2 diabetes has a genetic element involved, the rapid rise in diabetes worldwide points to changing lifestyles as the prime reason. Unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are the prime culprits. For example, the calorie consumption in the US for adults has increased by about 500 calories compared to the situation thirty years back. For the US children, this figure is 350 calories. Thus, childhood obesity is also on the increase. These children are ripe candidates for diabetes when they become adults. It is clear that American eating habits would kill more Americans than the actions of all the terrorists and wars put together.

Dr.Vangeepuram Satakopan

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