Almost one in 10 people in the UK will have diabetes by 2030, a charity has warned.
About 5.5 million people are likely to be living with diabetes within the next decade, putting them at risk of “devastating complications” including heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke, amputation and blindness, Diabetes UK said.
Chris Askew, the charity’s chief executive, said the country is “at the tipping point of a public health emergency” and action is needed “to stop it in its tracks”.
Unless something is done to stem the rise in cases, Diabetes UK estimates there could be more than 87,000 hospital admissions a year in England by 2030 for the condition. This would be an increase of 14% from 2020/21 and more than 50% higher than the figure for 2006/07.
Additional analysis from Diabetes UK also suggests one in three UK adults – more than 17 million people – could be at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 2030.
At the moment, almost 4.1 million people in the UK are diagnosed with either type 1 diabetes (which accounts for fewer than one in 10 cases) or type 2, which is heavily linked to obesity and can also be influenced by age, ethnic background and family history. It is thought a further 850,000 people are living with type 2 diabetes but do not know it.
To tackle the problem, Diabetes UK is calling for action such as enrolling more people in the NHS diabetes prevention programme.
The programme aims to help people reach a healthy weight, learn to eat better and make regular exercise a part of life.
The charity also wants people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to go into remission where possible through measures such as tailored weight-loss advice or gastric band surgery.
It also wants to see access to weight loss programmes expanded and assurances that people with all types of diabetes will get their regular NHS checks to cut the risk of complications.
The charity’s chief executive, Askew, said: “Every diagnosis of diabetes is life-changing. It’s a sobering thought then that, if we don’t act today, hundreds of thousands more will face the life-changing news that they have type 2 diabetes.
“We’re at the tipping point of a public health emergency and need action today to stop it in its tracks. It doesn’t have to be this way – we know that with the right care and support, diabetes complications can be avoided and cases of type 2 diabetes can be put into remission, or prevented altogether.”
Diabetes UK has launched a new TV campaign, This Is Diabetes, featuring families across the UK living with the condition.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity at NHS England, said: “Diabetes can have a marked effect on people’s lives, with higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, limb loss, many of the common forms of cancer, and more severe outcomes with Covid-19 but, thanks to better NHS treatment and care, the outlook for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes has improved considerably over the last few decades.
“As part of its Long Term Plan, the NHS is already delivering the world’s largest type 2 diabetes prevention programme to support people reduce their risk of developing the condition, as well as piloting the use of low calorie diets in those who have recently had a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in order to achieve remission.”
About 5.5 million people are likely to be living with diabetes within the next decade, putting them at risk of “devastating complications” including heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke, amputation and blindness, Diabetes UK said.
Chris Askew, the charity’s chief executive, said the country is “at the tipping point of a public health emergency” and action is needed “to stop it in its tracks”.
Unless something is done to stem the rise in cases, Diabetes UK estimates there could be more than 87,000 hospital admissions a year in England by 2030 for the condition. This would be an increase of 14% from 2020/21 and more than 50% higher than the figure for 2006/07.
Additional analysis from Diabetes UK also suggests one in three UK adults – more than 17 million people – could be at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 2030.
At the moment, almost 4.1 million people in the UK are diagnosed with either type 1 diabetes (which accounts for fewer than one in 10 cases) or type 2, which is heavily linked to obesity and can also be influenced by age, ethnic background and family history. It is thought a further 850,000 people are living with type 2 diabetes but do not know it.
To tackle the problem, Diabetes UK is calling for action such as enrolling more people in the NHS diabetes prevention programme.
The programme aims to help people reach a healthy weight, learn to eat better and make regular exercise a part of life.
The charity also wants people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to go into remission where possible through measures such as tailored weight-loss advice or gastric band surgery.
It also wants to see access to weight loss programmes expanded and assurances that people with all types of diabetes will get their regular NHS checks to cut the risk of complications.
The charity’s chief executive, Askew, said: “Every diagnosis of diabetes is life-changing. It’s a sobering thought then that, if we don’t act today, hundreds of thousands more will face the life-changing news that they have type 2 diabetes.
“We’re at the tipping point of a public health emergency and need action today to stop it in its tracks. It doesn’t have to be this way – we know that with the right care and support, diabetes complications can be avoided and cases of type 2 diabetes can be put into remission, or prevented altogether.”
Diabetes UK has launched a new TV campaign, This Is Diabetes, featuring families across the UK living with the condition.
Professor Jonathan Valabhji, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity at NHS England, said: “Diabetes can have a marked effect on people’s lives, with higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, limb loss, many of the common forms of cancer, and more severe outcomes with Covid-19 but, thanks to better NHS treatment and care, the outlook for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes has improved considerably over the last few decades.
“As part of its Long Term Plan, the NHS is already delivering the world’s largest type 2 diabetes prevention programme to support people reduce their risk of developing the condition, as well as piloting the use of low calorie diets in those who have recently had a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in order to achieve remission.”
