Did You Know? Reference: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353991365_The_Burden_of_Non-communicable_Diseases_and_Diabetic_Retinopathy Global Diabetes Statistics Approximately 80% of adult diabetic cases occur in low-income and middle-income countries. 1 In 2021, 537 million adults had diabetes worldwide. 2 This fact is especially noteworthy considering that 2007 data predicted that the globe wouldn’t reach 380 million cases until 2025. 3 In 2019, 1.5 million patients died as a direct result of their diabetes. 4 The risk of death from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke increases twofold for adults with type 2 diabetes. 5 China, India, and the United States have the highest prevalence of diabetes, with 89.5 million, 67.8 million, and 30.7 million, respectively. 6 760 billion dollars were spent on diabetes globally in 2019, and this number is expected to increase to 825 billion by 2030. 7 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(21)00089-1/fulltext https://diabetesatlas.org/ https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/4/6/1207 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/01/10/most-us-adults-with-diabetes-arent-managing-the-risks-for-heart-disease https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71908-9 https://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(20)30138-8/fulltex Why is diabetes becoming an epidemic in developing countries? Most new cases of diabetes globally are likely to be type 2 diabetes, in which the body’s resistance to its own insulin leads to high blood sugar levels. The following factors may all be contributing: Westernized diets and availability of cheap sugar and fat calories Transition from agrarian to urban lifestyles Genetics: non-Caucasian populations are at increased risk