Global diabetes problem needs more attentio, says report

A new report has warned about the growing problems of diabetes and lack of effective treatment around the world, while highlighting the influence of valid health insurance as a determinant of quality care, rather than personal wealth.
The study, published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organizatio, found that many millions of people suffering from diabetes are not being properly diagnosed or are being poorly treated, which is placing them at greater risk of associated conditions such as heart disease or chronic kidney disease .
This report examined data from national health surveys in counties such as England, Scotland, the United States, Ira, Mexico, Colombia and Thailand to assess diagnosis and treatment rates, while previous studies have shown that about 6.4 per cent of the world’s population have diabetes, and there are concerns that the increasing numbers of sufferers is becoming an epidemic .
Researcher Stephen Lim, of The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, commented “Too many people are not being properly diagnosed with diabetes and related cardiovascular risk factors. Those who are diagnosed aren’t being effectively treated.”
Emmanuela Gakidou, lead author of the study, also said “The cost of leaving individuals with diabetes untreated in the future will be huge, and a lot of the costs could be averted by better management of the health risks of these individuals.”