WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot effectively use insulin to control blood sugar (glucose) resulting in high blood sugar or low blood sugar.
WORLD DIABETES STATISTICS
According to the study carried out by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), about 537 million adults were found to be living with diabetes in 2021. This number is estimated to rise to 643 million by 2030 and to 783 million by 2045. About 44% adults with diabetes have not been diagnosed and the majority of these people have type 2 diabetes. A total of 541 million adults are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and more than 1.2 million children and adolescents (0-19 years) live with type 1 diabetes. Published studies show that in 2021, diabetes caused 6.7 million deaths and the disease contributed to about $966 billion in health expenditure, which is about 9% of the global total spent on healthcare. Pregnant women are affected by high blood glucose (hyperglycemia), 1 in 6 live births which is equivalent to (21 million).
DIABETES IN AFRICA
About 24 million adults (1 in 22) have diabetes. The total number of people with diabetes is predicted to increase by 129% to 55 million by 2045, which is the highest increase of all International Diabetes Federation (IDF) regions. Most people living with diabetes in the region are undiagnosed, over 1 in 2 (54%). In 2021 diabetes was responsible for 416,000 deaths in Africa 2021. Africa has the second lowest diabetes related expenditure which is about (USD 13 billion), 1% of global expenditure.
DIABETES IN ZIMBABWE
According to World Health ranking (2020), in Zimbabwe diabetes deaths reached 3344 and it is currently the 6th leading cause of death in the country. Living with diabetes can cause financial strains in families and the economy of the country as people with diabetes require ongoing support in most cases. The World Bank (2021) also indicated that the prevalence of diabetes in Zimbabwe is at 2.1% for the age group between 20 and 79 years. About 10 people in every 100 people in the country have diabetes. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes hinders the country’s progress towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDG 3) of good health and well-being for all by 2030. Therefore there is need to address diabetes, a non-communicable disease to prevent suffering from preventable complications and premature death.