Diabetes cases in Pakistan up by 70%, over 33MN suffering from disease: IDF Report

A report from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) revealed that the incidence of diabetes in Pakistan has climbed considerably, with 33 million individuals suffering from the disease, local media reported, citing data from the IDF. The current figure shows a 70% surge in diabetes cases since 2019. As per the IDF statistics, diabetes would cause 400,000 deaths in Pakistan by 2021 which can be considered to be the highest number of fatalities from the disease in the Middle East and North Africa zone. 

The result figures of the 10th Edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, which is going to release on December 6, states that one in every four adults, that makes 26.7% of the population in Pakistan, has diabetes, making it the country with the greatest national incidence in the world, Pakistan Today reported. Currently, Pakistan has the world's third-highest number of diabetic patients.  

Further, in the country another 11 million individuals suffer from Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), putting those people at significant risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, the publication reported. Over 26.9% of individuals residing in Pakistan who are suffering from diabetes are undiagnosed. 

'Rapidly rising level of diabetes in Pakistan a significant health challenge'

According to the IDF, 537 million persons worldwide are currently suffering from diabetes, up by 16% from 74 million over the prior IDF projections in 2019. Professor Abdul Basit, Director of Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Baqai Medical University, said, "The rapidly rising level of diabetes in Pakistan presents a significant challenge to the health and wellbeing of individuals and families in the country," ANI reported. 

Pakistan Today reported that nearly 90% of diabetic patients worldwide have type 2 diabetes. A complex combination of socioeconomic, demographic, ecological, and genetic variables is driving the growth in the number of persons with type 2 diabetes. Urbanisation, an older population, decreased levels of physical exercise, and rising levels of obesity are all major influences causing this disease. 

Furthermore, the IDF Diabetes Atlas 10th Edition's significant global and regional results include the fact that one out of every ten (10.5%) adults in the globe have diabetes. By the year 2030, the overall population will have risen to 643 million (11.3%), and by 2045, it would increase to 783 million (12.2%).

In addition to this, in the Middle East and North Africa region, one out of every six people residing in those regions have diabetes which is nearly 73 million. Undiagnosed diabetes affects approximately 240 million individuals globally, with roughly 27 million in the Middle East and North Africa region. 

(Image: ANI/AP/Representative)