Precis - Diabetes UK

Diabetes numbers leap to 1.8 million people in the UK

New statistics revealed today show that there are now 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK representing three per cent of the population. This reflects an increase of 400,000 people in just eight years.  The figures are part of a report by Diabetes UK which predicts that the number
of people with the condition will continue to rise as the population ages and becomes more overweight.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK said, "The number of people with diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate.  This will continue to place a growing strain on local NHS services.  The challenge now is to ensure that all people with diabetes are diagnosed early and treated effectively.  Many of the worst effects of diabetes can be avoided.  We cannot afford to wait until people have heart attacks or have problems with their sight or kidneys before they get the care they need."

Of the 1.8 million almost 250,000 people have Type 1 diabetes and just over 1.5 million have Type 2 diabetes.  It is estimated that there are up to a million who have Type 2 diabetes but haven't been diagnosed yet.  Five per cent of the NHS budget or around £10 million a day is currently spent on
treating diabetes and its effects.  NHS spending on the condition is predicted to rise to ten per cent by 2011.

Dr Sue Roberts, National Clinical Director for Diabetes said, "The challenge that the growing numbers of people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes present to the NHS, and as confirmed by this report, are well
known.  It was because of this that the Diabetes National Service Framework was established by the Department of Health to promote standards that ensure NHS diabetes services attain the highest possible levels of quality and consistency. The creation of the National Diabetes Support Team to provide help and support to local service in implementing the NSF demonstrates the importance attached to diabetes."

The report, Diabetes in the UK 2004, also looks at the impact of the long-term effects of diabetes, highlighting the extent to which these problems could be avoided with more effective treatment. The full report can be downloaded at www.diabetes.org.uk.

A National Service Framework for Diabetes for England was launched in January 2003 and came into effect in April 2003.  It sets out a ten-year programme of change to deliver improved care for people with diabetes.
Responsibility for delivering the change lies mainly with the local NHS.

Notes

1. Diabetes UK is the charity for people with diabetes. We fund medical research, provide information and support to people with diabetes and campaign on their behalf.

2. Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot convert the glucose in itsn blood into energy because the hormone insulin which enables this to take place is either not produced or does not work properly.

3. The statistics were calculated using the Diabetes UK Updated Prevalence Model 2004.

4. The Executive summary of the report is below.

Executive summary

Most health experts agree that the UK is facing a huge increase in the number of people with diabetes in the coming years. Since 1996 the number diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 1.4 million to 1.8 million. By the end of this decade it is estimated that the number could increase to three million. Most of these cases will be Type 2 diabetes, attributable to an ageing population and rapidly rising numbers of overweight and obese people.

The costs to people's quality of life, the economy, society, and the NHS are already high. Diabetes alone can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, stroke and nerve damage leading to amputation.

Who has diabetes?

- There are 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK , equivalent to three per cent of the population.

- Diabetes affects five per cent of the world's population and its prevalence is doubling every generation.

- Globally there are up to 20 million people with Type 1 diabetes.

- There are up to a million people with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes in the
UK .

Why are the numbers increasing?

- The population of the UK is ageing.

- The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes increases by up to ten times in people with a body mass index of more than 30.

- Britain has the fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world.

- Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is at least five times higher amongst those from an African-Caribbean or Asian background in the UK .

Why does it matter?

- Life expectancy is reduced on average by 20 years in those with Type 1 diabetes and up to ten years in Type 2 diabetes.

- By the time they are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, 50 per cent of people have evidence of complications.

- In the UK people with diabetes spend 1.1 million days in hospital every year.

- 80 per cent of people with diabetes will die from cardiovascular disease.

- People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have a stroke compared to those without the condition.

- 1,000 people with diabetes start kidney dialysis every year in the UK .

- Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people of working age in the UK .

- The rate of lower limb amputation in people with diabetes is 15 times higher than in people without diabetes.

What does it cost?

- The NHS spends around five per cent of its budget or close to £10 million a day treating diabetes and its effects.

- NHS spend on diabetes will rise to ten per cent by 2011.

What can be done?

- Effectively controlled Type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk of
         - heart disease by 44 per cent
         - stroke by 46 per cent
         - kidney disease by 33 per cent
         - eye disease by 33 per cent.

- Effectively controlled Type 1 diabetes can reduce the risk of
         - new eye disease by 76 per cent
         - worsening of existing eye disease by 54 per cent
         - early kidney disease by 54 per cent
         - more serious kidney problems by 39 per cent
         - nerve damage by 60 per cent.

- Statin therapy for people with diabetes can reduce the number of
      - heart attacks by 36 per cent
      - strokes by 48 per cent.

(8/10/04)