World Diabetes Day 2024: Key facts about Type 2 diabetes 

Today, November 14, the World Diabetes Day 2024, the Diaspora Digital Media (DDM)  in this article will explain more of key facts about diabetes Type 2 to you.

 What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, which is common in adults. It occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t make enough insulin.

In the past 3 decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels.

Symptoms for type 2 diabetes are generally similar to those of type 1 diabetes but are often less marked. As a result, the disease may be diagnosed several years after onset, after complications have already arisen. For this reason, it is important to be aware of risk factors

Key facts about Type 2 diabetes

It’s the most common type of diabetes

90-95% of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. African, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian or Aboriginal descent, are mostly prone to developing type 2 diabetes compared to other ethnicities.

This is partly due to sociocultural factors, such as lower income and decreased access to education and health care, as well as a genetic susceptibility to obesity and higher insulin resistance.

Being overweight increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes

Research shows that if you’re obese, your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes is 80 times greater than those of people whose body mass index (BMI) is within a normal range.

The extra pounds around our middles are especially worrisome because abdominal fat disrupts the responsiveness of cells to insulin.

You can develop diabetes at any age

Yes, you can develop Type 2 diabetes as a child, teen or adult. But this type of diabetes is most common in middle-aged and older people. Having a family member with the disease also increases your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes often presents without symptoms

About a third of people with diabetes don’t know they have the disease because Type 2 diabetes often has no symptoms.

A medical doctor said “every week I diagnose people with diabetes who have likely had it for 5 years or more and yet had no idea what was happening to them.”

Diabetes is a risk factor for many diseases and health complications

The reality is that unmanaged diabetes has been linked to a host of health-related issues such as infections, kidney disease, depression, sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease and even some forms of cancer.

It is important to work with your healthcare team to ensure your diabetes is well managed, and speak to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and amputation in adults  

Type 2 diabetes patients are more prone to early-onset cataracts and glaucoma. Long-term effects of diabetes on retina can lead to blindness. Amputation is another major complication of the disease and results in death for 30% of Canadians with diabetes.

With Type 2 diabetes you are 4 times as likely to develop heart disease

Diabetes is considered one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, and 7 in 10 people with diabetes will die of cardiovascular issues. People living with diabetes can develop heart disease 10-15 years before someone without the disease. This is because your blood vessels are more vulnerable to risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

 You’ll have at least 2 times the medical costs of someone without diabetes

According to Diabetes Canada, 57% of Canadians reported not being able to adhere to prescribed treatment because of the high cost of medications, devices and suppliers not covered by a health plan.

There is no one strict diet for Type 2 diabetes.

When you have diabetes, there is no particular meal plan you have to follow. But you should try and fill your body with healthy choices, paying attention to portion sizes and meal scheduling, to help keep your blood sugar levels in check.

Some good options include plenty of vegetables, fruits and legumes, as well as low-fat dairy products, healthy carbs (whole grain breads) and good fats (e.g., olive oil and avocados).

You cannot cure type 2 diabetes, but you can manage it

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this life-long disease yet, although researchers are working on it. In the meantime, by managing your blood sugar levels and sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle, you can reduce your risk of diabetes-related complications.

World Diabetes Day 2024

Urgent action needed as global diabetes cases increase four-fold over past decades

According to the new data released by the Lancet on 2024 World Diabetes Day, number of adults living with diabetes worldwide has surpassed 800 million, more than quadrupling since 1990.

The analysis, conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the scale of the diabetes epidemic and an urgent need for stronger global action to address both rising disease rates and widening treatment gaps, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on World Diabetes Day 2024 stated “we have seen an alarming rise in diabetes over the past three decades, which reflects the increase in obesity, compounded by the impacts of the marketing of unhealthy food, a lack of physical activity and economic hardship.”

“To bring the global diabetes epidemic under control, countries must urgently take action. This starts with enacting policies that support healthy diets and physical activity, and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection and treatment.”

The study reports revealed that global diabetes prevalence in adults rose from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022.

Low Middle Income Countries (LMICs) experienced the largest increases, where diabetes rates have soared while treatment access remains persistently low.

The trend has led to stark global inequalities in 2022, almost 450 million adults aged 30 and older with diabetes remained untreated, marking a 3.5-fold increase in untreated people since 1990. Ninety per cent of these untreated adults are living in LMICs.

The study further reveals substantial global differences in diabetes rates, with the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 18 and older around 20% in the WHO South-East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean Regions.

The two regions, together with the African Region, have the lowest rates of diabetes treatment coverage, with fewer than 4 in 10 adults with diabetes taking glucose-lowering medication for their diabetes.

WHO’s commitment to global diabetes response

Addressing the soaring diabetes burden, WHO is also launching a new global monitoring framework on diabetes on World Diabetes Day 2024, today.

This product represents a crucial step in the global response, providing comprehensive guidance to countries in measuring and evaluating diabetes prevention, care, outcomes and impacts.

By tracking key indicators such as glycaemic control, hypertension and access to essential medicines, countries can improve targeted interventions and policy initiatives. This standardized approach empowers countries to prioritize resources effectively, driving significant improvements in diabetes prevention and care.

WHO’s Global Diabetes Compact, launched in 2021, includes the vision of reducing the risk of diabetes, and ensuring that all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.

According to the report by WHO, the work was undertaken as part of the Compact efforts to support the prevention of type 2 diabetes patients from obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

In addition, the same year, a diabetes resolution was endorsed at the World Health Assembly urging Member States to raise the priority given to the prevention, diagnosis and control of diabetes as well as prevention and management of risk factors such as obesity.

In 2022, WHO established five global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these targets is to ensure that 80% of people with diagnosed diabetes achieve good glycemic control. Today’s release underlines the scale and urgency of action needed to advance efforts to close the gap.

Besides, reports stated that the upcoming year 2025 presents a significant opportunity to catalyze action against the alarming rise in diabetes worldwide with the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of non communicable diseases (NCDs) to take place in September.

The meeting as reported shall bring heads of states and governments together to set a powerful vision for preventing and controlling NCDs, including diabetes, through a collective commitment to address root causes and improve access to detection and treatment.

By aligning efforts towards the 2030 and 2050 goals, this high-level meeting is a pivotal moment for strengthening global health systems, including primary health care and halting the rise in the diabetes epidemic.

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