Members of a multinational research team predict up to 17.4 million instances of Type 1 diabetes worldwide by 2040 using a new model, which is double the number of cases currently known to exist.
According to a research in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 8.4 million people worldwide have Type 1 diabetes, which is characterized by insufficient or nonexistent insulin production by the pancreas, resulting in a buildup of blood sugar that can be deadly or disabling. Excessive thirst and urination, impaired eyesight, fatigue, dry skin, and unintentional weight loss are among the symptoms.
Although tracking has been better recently, Type 1 diabetes is still underrepresented. In addition, the numbers have historically been biased toward North America and Europe because many nations don’t collect data on Type 1 diabetes.
The researchers developed a model that used the available data to anticipate Type 1 diabetes globally in order to counteract the erratic figures.
The figures dispel several misconceptions about the condition, which was formerly known as juvenile diabetes because it frequently begins in childhood. However, adults rather than children are diagnosed with the disease annually, and the majority of those affected are between the ages of 20 and 59.
However, children are more susceptible to dying from the illness, particularly in low-income nations. According to the study, a 10-year-old who acquires Type 1 diabetes in a low-income nation has an average remaining life expectancy of just 13 years as opposed to 61 years in high-income nations.
According to estimates, Type 1 diabetes claimed the lives of about 175,000 people worldwide in 2021, and 63 to 70 percent of those who died under the age of 25 had undiagnosed diabetes.
According to the researchers, increased diagnosis rates may be aided by better data.
According to Graham Ogle, a researcher at the University of Sydney Medical School and one of the study’s co-authors, “there is an opportunity to save millions of lives in the next decades.” He claimed that the figures serve as a warning that the team’s forecast will come true in the absence of solutions, such as widespread access to insulin, improved standards of care, and increased awareness of Type 1 diabetes symptoms.