It is estimated that more than half a billion people are living with diabetes worldwide. The condition can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications. IDF is committed to championing improved education on their impact. The latest figures show that in 2021, approximately 6.7 million adults between the age of 20–79 were estimated to have died as a result of diabetes or its complications. This devastating figure can be reduced with greater awareness and better access to diabetes care and treatment.
Earlier this year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) conducted research to learn how much people living with diabetes understood about the related complications. We found that over 7 in 10 people we surveyed, from countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, had discovered their condition only after experiencing a complication. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced awareness and education about the condition and its potential consequences. We mark World Diabetes Day every year on November 14 to address this need and promote concerted action to address diabetes as a serious threat to global health.
We found that over 7 in 10 people with diabetes we surveyed had discovered their condition only after experiencing a complication.
The most common diabetes complications include cardiovascular disease, loss of vision, nerve damage and kidney disease. These complications can be delayed or prevented with appropriate treatment and self-care. However, access to the required care and support for people with diabetes remains unsatisfactory in many parts of the world. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to help mitigate the severity of complications. Yet almost half of all people with diabetes in the world today remain unaware of their condition.
The vast majority (94%) of the people living with diabetes we surveyed had experienced one or more of the complications associated with the condition. Therefore, it is clear that more education and support are required. Many of our respondents struggled to identify some of the most common complications, such as heart disease and stroke, and over 8 in 10 felt that they could have done more to prevent the complications they had experienced.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of all diabetes. As its symptoms can develop silently, it often goes undiagnosed until one or more complications develop. Consequently, it is important to be aware of the risk factors that can lead to diabetes, such as a history of diabetes in the family, overweight, age, lack of physical activity and ethnicity. It is equally important to know what action to take to support prevention, early diagnosis and timely treatment.
A simple questionnaire available on the World Diabetes Day website can help quickly identify people who may be at higher risk of type 2 diabetes and may need to discuss their level of risk with a healthcare professional.
In 2022, UN member states agreed a set of ambitious global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030:
Achieving these targets will go a long way to reducing the impact of diabetes-related complications, but they will not be achievable without improving access to quality diabetes support and care. Ensuring universal health coverage (UHC) everywhere is the best way to achieve this. The World Health Organization has called on Member States to strengthen primary health care systems to achieve UHC by 2030. However, global progress to achieve UHC is falling short.
Achieving the WHO diabetes coverage targets will go a long way to reducing the impact of diabetes-related complications, but they will not be achievable without improving access to quality diabetes support and care.
Urgent action is therefore needed. This World Diabetes Day, IDF is calling on governments worldwide to dedicate sufficient resources to improving access to diabetes diagnosis and care and deliver on promises to provide UHC. Individuals can support IDF’s call to action by communicating with their minister of health or local policymakers through our online tool.
IDF is committed to addressing the challenges associated with diabetes. Through awareness initiatives such as World Diabetes Day and the education we provide through the IDF School of Diabetes and our congresses, we aim to increase access to diabetes care, improve the lives of people living with diabetes and prevent diabetes in those at risk, regardless of geography and available resources.
