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Cost of diabetes epidemic
reaches $850 billion a year
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[November 14, 2017] (Reuters)
- The number of people living with diabetes
has tripled since 2000, pushing the global cost of the disease to $850
billion a year, medical experts said on Tuesday.
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 The vast majority of those affected have type 2 diabetes, which is
linked to obesity and lack of exercise, and the epidemic is
spreading particularly fast in poorer countries as people adopt
Western diets and urban lifestyles.
The latest estimates from the International Diabetes Federation mean
that one in 11 adults worldwide have the condition, which occurs
when the amount of sugar in the blood is too high.
The total number of diabetics is now 451 million and is expected to
reach 693 million by 2045 if current trends continue.
The high price of dealing with the disease reflects not only the
cost of medicines but also the management of a range of
complications, such as limb amputations and eye problems.
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(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Goodman)
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