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Key Facts

  • The number of people living with diabetes rose from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022. Prevalence has been rising more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
  • More than half of people living with diabetes did not take medication for their diabetes in 2022. Diabetes treatment coverage was lowest in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Diabetes causes blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
  • In 2021, diabetes and kidney disease due to diabetes caused over 2 million deaths. In addition, around 11% of cardiovascular deaths were caused by high blood glucose.
  • A healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight, and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
  • Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication, and regular screening and treatment for complications.

Overview

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

In 2022, 14% of adults aged 18 years and older were living with diabetes, an increase from 7% in 1990. More than half (59%) of adults aged 30 years and over living with diabetes were not taking medication for their diabetes in 2022. Diabetes treatment coverage was lowest in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2021, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.6 million deaths and 47% of all deaths due to diabetes occurred before the age of 70 years. Another 530,000 kidney disease deaths were caused by diabetes, and high blood glucose causes around 11% of cardiovascular deaths.

Since 2000, mortality rates from diabetes have been increasing. By contrast, the probability of dying from any one of the four main noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, or diabetes) between the ages of 30 and 70 decreased by 20% globally between 2000 and 2019.

Symptoms Of Diabetes Include

Symptoms of diabetes may occur suddenly. In type 2 diabetes, the symptoms can be mild and may take many years to be noticed.

Over time, diabetes can damage blood vessels in the heart, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of health problems including heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Diabetes can cause permanent vision loss by damaging blood vessels in the eyes.

Many people with diabetes develop problems with their feet from nerve damage and poor blood flow. This can cause foot ulcers and may lead to amputation.

Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes affects how your body uses sugar (glucose) for energy. It stops the body from using insulin properly, which can lead to high levels of blood sugar if not treated.

Over time, type 2 diabetes can cause serious damage to the body, especially nerves and blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes is often preventable. Factors that contribute to developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight, not getting enough exercise, and genetics.

Early diagnosis is important to prevent the worst effects of type 2 diabetes. The best way to detect diabetes early is to get regular check-ups and blood tests with a healthcare provider.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be mild. They may take several years to be noticed. Symptoms may be 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.

More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was formerly called non-insulin dependent, or adult onset. Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring increasingly frequently in children.

Gestational Diabetes

  • Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia with blood glucose values above normal but below those diagnostic of diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy.
  • Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. These women and possibly their children are also at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the future.
  • Gestational diabetes is diagnosed through prenatal screening, rather than through reported symptoms.

Prevention

Lifestyle changes are the best way to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, people should:

Maintain a healthy body weight

Get 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly.

Eat healthy, Avoid sugar and saturated fats.

Avoid Smoking

Diagnosis And Treatment

  • Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive testing of blood glucose. People with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections for survival.
  • One of the most important ways to treat diabetes is to keep a healthy lifestyle.
  • Some people with type 2 diabetes will need to take medicines to help manage their blood sugar levels. These can include insulin injections or other medicines.
    • Metformin
    • Sulfonylureas
    • Sodium-glucose co-transporters type 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors.
  • Along with medicines to lower blood sugar, people with diabetes often need medications to lower their blood pressure and statins to reduce the risk of complications.
  • Additional medical care may be needed to treat the effects of diabetes:

Foot Care for Ulcer Treatment

Kidney Disease Screening and Treatment

Eye Exams for Retinopathy Screening

Heart Failure

  • Heart failure is a term used to describe a heart that cannot keep up with its workload. The body may not get the oxygen it needs.
  • The term heart failure sounds like the heart is no longer working at all. Actually, heart failure, sometimes called HF, means that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure that requires timely medical attention, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.
  • Your body depends on the heart’s pumping action to deliver oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the body’s cells. With heart failure, the weakened heart can’t supply the cells with enough blood. This results in fatigue and shortness of breath, and some people experience excessive coughing. Everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries can become very difficult.
  • Heart failure is a serious condition, and usually there’s no cure. But many people with heart failure lead a full, enjoyable life when the condition is managed with heart failure medications and a healthy lifestyle. It’s also helpful to have the support of family and friends who understand your condition.

How the normal heart works

The heart is a strong, muscular pump a little larger than a fist. Its job is to pump the right amount of blood to all parts of the body. This is called circulation.

The right atrium takes in oxygen-depleted blood from the rest of the body and sends it through the right ventricle to the lungs, which infuse the blood with oxygen.

Oxygen-rich blood travels from the lungs to the left atrium, then on to the left ventricle, which pumps it to the rest of the body.

The heart pumps blood to the lungs and to all of the body’s tissues. For the heart to work properly, the four chambers must beat in an organized way. A healthy heart has more than enough pumping ability to circulate blood properly.

What is heart failure?

The heart is a strong, muscular pump a little larger than a fist. Its job is to pump the right amount of blood to all parts of the body. This is called circulation.

Normal Heart

Heart Failure

Initial Compensation By The Heart

The Body Also Tries To Compensate In Other Ways:

  • The blood vessels narrow to keep blood pressure up, trying to make up for the heart’s loss of power.
  • The kidneys retain more salt and water rather than excrete it through urine. This creates increased volume of blood, which helps to maintain blood pressure and allows the heart to pump stronger. But over time this extra volume can overtask the heart, making heart failure worse.

Eventually the heart and body simply can’t keep up, and the person experiences fatigue, breathing problems or other symptoms that usually prompt a trip to the doctor.

The body’s compensation mechanisms help to explain why some people might not become aware of their condition until years after their heart begins its decline. (That is a good reason to have a regular checkup with your doctor.)

Heart failure can involve the heart’s left side, right side or both sides. However, it usually affects the left side first. Read more about the types of heart failure.

Chronic Kidney Disease

  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work as well as they should.
  • It's a common condition often associated with getting older. It can affect anyone, but it's more common in people who are black or of south Asian origin.
  • CKD can get worse over time and eventually the kidneys may stop working altogether, but this is uncommon. Many people with CKD are able to live long lives with the condition.

Symptoms of CKD

There are usually no symptoms of kidney disease in the early stages. It may only be diagnosed if you have a blood or urine test for another reason and the results show a possible problem with your kidneys.

At a more advanced stage, symptoms can include:

See a GP if you have persistent or worrying symptoms that you think could be caused by kidney disease.

Tests For CKD

  • CKD can be diagnosed using blood and urine tests. These tests look for high levels of certain substances in your blood and urine that are signs your kidneys are not working properly.
  • If you're at a high risk of developing kidney disease (for example, you have a known risk factor such as high blood pressure or diabetes), you may be advised to have regular tests to check for CKD so it's found at an early stage.
  • The results of your blood and urine tests can be used to tell the stage of your kidney disease. This is a number that reflects how severe the damage to your kidneys is, with a higher number indicating more serious CKD.

Causes of CKD

Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by other conditions that put a strain on the kidneys. Often, it's the result of a combination of different problems.

01

01

High Blood Pressure

Over time, this can put strain on the small blood vessels in the kidneys and stop the kidneys working properly.

02

02

Diabetes

Too much glucose in your blood can damage the tiny filters in the kidneys.

03

03

High Cholesterol

This can cause a build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels supplying your kidneys, which can make it harder for them to work properly.

04

04

Kidney Infections

Kidney infections are typically caused by bacteria from urinary tract infections or other factors like kidney stones and urinary blockages.

05

05

Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys' filtering units (glomeruli), often caused by infections or autoimmune diseases.

06

06

Autosomal Dominant PKD

An inherited condition where growths called cysts develop in the kidneys

07

07

Blockages In The Flow Of Urine

Blockages in the flow of urine can be caused by kidney stones, tumors, or enlarged prostate.

08

08

Long-Term Medication Use

Long-term use of certain medications, such as lithium and NSAIDs, can impair kidney function.

Treatments For CKD

There's no cure for CKD, but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and stop it getting worse.

Your treatment will depend on how severe your condition is.

The main treatments are:

  • Lifestyle changes to help you remain as healthy as possible
  • Medicine to control associated problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol
  • Dialysis – treatment to replicate some of the kidney's functions; this may be necessary in advanced CKD
  • Kidney transplant – this may also be necessary in advanced CKD

You'll also be advised to have regular check-ups to monitor your condition.

Outlook For CKD

  • CKD can range from a mild condition with no or few symptoms, to a very serious condition where the kidneys stop working, sometimes called kidney failure.
  • Most people with CKD will be able to control their condition with medicine and regular check-ups. CKD only progresses to kidney failure in around 2 in 100 people with the condition.
  • If you have CKD, even if it's mild, you're at an increased risk of developing other serious problems, such as cardiovascular disease. This is a group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, which includes heart attack and stroke.
  • Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death in people with kidney disease, although healthy lifestyle changes and medicine can help reduce your risk of developing it.