Alarming diabetes stats in South Africa

SOUTH Africa has the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa, which is an alarming and concerning issue.

New figures released by the International Diabets Federation (IDF) show that over four million adults in the country are affected by the condition, with one in nine adults living with diabetes.

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Another scary fact is that just under half of those living with diabetes in South Africa are undiagnosed, and one in three adults is at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Just ahead of World Diabetes Day (14 November), the IDF figures showed that an alarming 537 million adults are now living with diabetes worldwide.

This is a 16% (74 million) rise since the previous IDF estimates in 2019.

These findings from the 10th edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, which will be published on 6 December, also report that 4.2 million adults in South Africa are living with diabetes.

The diabetes prevalence in South Africa has reached 11.3%, the highest in Africa.

The country will register an estimated 96 000 deaths due to diabetes in 2021, while the cost of diabetes-related health expenditure has risen to 1 700 USD per person, totalling an estimated 7.2 billion USD.

Treatment milestone
This year marks 100 years since the discovery of insulin.

This milestone presents a unique opportunity to reflect on the numbers of people living with diabetes, as well as the urgent need to improve access to care for the millions affected.

Key contributors include urbanisation, an ageing population, decreasing levels of physical activity and increasing levels of people being overweight and developing obesity.

The theme of World Diabetes Day this year is Access to Diabetes Care.

IDF is calling on national governments to provide the best possible care for people living with diabetes and develop policies to improve diabetes screening and Type 2 diabetes prevention, especially among young people.