3 million Australians to develop diabetes by 2025

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 18 2012

According to the latest figures, one in three of today's young Australians will go on to develop diabetes. A new assessment of national health data released by Diabetes Australia today shows 1.5 million Australians currently have diabetes. It says the diabetes rate is likely to at least double in Australia over the next decade, and predicts 3 million people will have type 2 diabetes by 2025.

Type 2 diabetes is potentially preventable in many people. The report says there is a continuing rise in the occurrence of Type 1 diabetes, especially among children aged up to four years, although it is unpreventable. It said prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in Australia was one of the highest in the world and was increasing at about three per cent a year.

The alarming report, entitled “Diabetes: the silent pandemic and its impact on Australia”, has prompted some of Australia's leading research and consumer advocacy groups to demand a renewed focus from the federal government on the health issue.

The head of Diabetes Australia, Lewis Kaplan, has called for a national action plan to be developed to help control what is a potentially preventable disease. “Time is of the essence because, unlike other developed nations (and) despite agreeing to these global recommendations, Australia has failed to take comprehensive action and implement change,” he said.

“If nothing is done, the likelihood is that the numbers will continue to grow to 3.5 million by 2033…If we do something about the situation, we might reduce that growth down to only maybe 2 million additional cases by 2033,” he said. He said there needs to be better diagnoses and treatment of people with the chronic condition. “So that they can prevent or delay complications. Complications are serious - people go blind from diabetes, they have a large number of limb amputations, they're likely to get end-stage kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and death.”

The report's lead author, Jonathan Shaw from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said the future was not looking positive. “What is critical now is for us to take urgent responsibility and act firmly and fast to contain the significant burden our younger generations and children are set to endure,” Associate Professor Shaw said. “The battle against diabetes requires concerted efforts on a number of fronts - strategies to slow down the rapidly rising number of those developing the disease and ensuring those living with diabetes are able to manage this insidious condition effectively. We must also do everything we can to fully understand diabetes via research.”

The report says 275 Australians are diagnosed with diabetes every day, which can result in visual impairment, kidney disease or limb amputation. It says while the current estimated annual health bill for diabetes was more than $6 billion, it would increase dramatically as more people were diagnosed. “Considering diabetes entirely a matter of personal responsibility will certainly fail to address this public health challenge,” Prof Shaw said. “A well-planned and coordinated way to reach all levels of society is now critical for the future of this country.” Diabetes Australia says there should be more support for public health objectives like “traffic light” food labels to encourage better nutrition as well as support for increased physical activity.

Representatives from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Diabetes Australia, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Novo Nordisk launched the report in Canberra on Wednesday.