Published by. John Elflein, Jul 27, 2022. China is the country with the highest number of diabetics worldwide, with around 141 million people suffering from the disease. By the year 2045, it is predicted that China will have around 174 million people with diabetes.
It is also reported that health expenditure of patients with complications was 3.36 times higher than those without complications in China [15, 16]. Urbanization, diet and decreasing levels of physical activity, with a consequent epidemic of obesity have contributed to the rapid increase of diabetes in China [17, 18].
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) currently states that the top 5 countries with the highest amount of people with diabetes are as follows: China: 109 million. India: 69 million. USA: 29 million.
They called the condition madhumeha, meaning honey urine. During the third century B.C.E., Apollonius of Memphis mentioned the term “diabetes,” which may have been its earliest reference.
Diabetes: Its Beginnings
The first known mention of diabetes symptoms was in 1552 B.C., when Hesy-Ra, an Egyptian physician, documented frequent urination as a symptom of a mysterious disease that also caused emaciation.
A similar story follows in the Americas, where Mexico has the highest adult prevalence of diabetes at 16.9% or 14.1 million people. Though the U.S. has a lower rate at 10.7%, its higher population gives it an estimated 32.2 million adults with diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus has been known since antiquity. Descriptions have been found in the Egyptian papyri, in ancient Indian and Chinese medical literature, as well as, in the work of ancient Greek and Arab physicians.
Type 1 diabetes is considered worse than type 2 because it is an autoimmune disease, so there isn't a cure. Also, in a 2010 report⁴ from the UK, it's estimated that the life expectancy of people with type 2 diabetes can be reduced by up to 10 years, while type 1 can reduce life expectancy by 20 years or more.
Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes didn't live for long; there wasn't much doctors could do for them. The most effective treatment was to put patients with diabetes on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. This could buy patients a few extra years but couldn't save them.
There's no cure yet, but our scientists are working on a ground-breaking weight management study, to help people put their type 2 diabetes into remission. Remission is when blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels are in a normal range again. This doesn't mean diabetes has gone for good.
Amongst those who are currently 65 years old, the average man can expect to live until 83 years old and the average woman to live until 85 years old. People with type 1 diabetes have traditionally lived shorter lives, with life expectancy having been quoted as being reduced by over 20 years.
Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Prevented? Yes! You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes—such as losing a small amount of weight and getting more physically active—even if you're at high risk.
How common is diabetes? In 2020, an estimated 1 in 20 (almost 1.3 million) Australians were living with diabetes (prevalence) and were registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme - external site opens in new window (NDSS) and Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) state-based registers.
Diabetes rates vary greatly around the world. Pakistan has the highest diabetes rate at 30.8%, followed by Kuwait at 24.9%, and Nauru, New Caledonia, and the Northern Mariana Islands, all at 23.4%. On the other hand, countries with the lowest diabetes rates include Eritrea, Somalia, and Guinea-Bissau, all below 1%.
We hypothesise that the high diabetes susceptibility in South Asians is evolutionarily set through dual parallel and/or interacting mechanisms: reduced beta cell function and impaired insulin action owing to low lean mass, which is further accentuated by ectopic fat deposition in the liver and muscle.
Without insulin, people with type 1 diabetes suffer a condition called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). If left untreated, people die quickly and usually alone.
Rapid-acting insulin lasts for four hours, so if no other action has been taken to change the infusion site, then within approximately six hours, you can be at risk for a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
The only known cure for Type 1 diabetes is either a pancreas transplant or a transplant of the specialized pancreatic cells that produce insulin. But with a shortage of available organs and 1.6 million people in the U.S. living with the disease, a cure for the vast majority is not possible.
Type 2 diabetes has a stronger link to family history and lineage than type 1, and studies of twins have shown that genetics play a very strong role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Race can also play a role.
The diabetes cases have bloomed with the increase in the rates of obesity. Obesity is one of the most important factors that increase your risk of diabetes. Ceasing regular physical activity impairs the control of blood sugar levels (glycemic control) in healthy individuals and heightens your risk of diabetes.
Obesity and fat distribution
Overweight and obesity are driving the global diabetes epidemic. They affect the majority of adults in most developed countries and are increasing rapidly in developing countries.