The Prevalence of Diabetes in Europe

To put what is being discussed at the EU Summit on Chronic Diseases this week into context, I thought it might be helpful to pass on some great facts and figures that I’ve received from the International Diabetes Federation on diabetes and its prevalence in Europe. I think it’s really important for us to look at diabetes on a wider scale, as it can often help us put our own conditions and management into context. Or provide us with inspiration for new ways of approaching diabetes care.

- There are 56.3 million people with diabetes living in Europe (8.5 % of the population)

- 21.2 million people are yet to be diagnosed, so raising awareness and education on prevention is really important

- One in ten deaths can be attributed to diabetes (622,114 deaths in 2012!). A statistic that is just too high and that we need to act on now

- €138.8 billion were spent on treating diabetes in Europe in 2012, a staggering amount.

- Europe is home to the highest number of children with type 1 diabetes in the world, which makes education and prevention high on the agenda for diabetes management so as to prevent complications in adulthood

- >50% of adults with diabetes fail to achieve target HbA1c values, which will put them at risk of possible diabetes related complications in later life.

MSD- one of the pharmaceutical companies in attendance at the EU Summit on Chronic Illnesses event has spent USD 27.8 billion on research and development in the past 3 years alone and is the third largest spender on research and development in the world. Tomorrow I look forward to spending time on their stand and interacting with delegates who want to know more about what it’s like to live with diabetes.

Sources: International Diabetes Federation, Cheung et al., Gitt et al.