92.4 million diabetics in China

Glucose Meter to Test Diabetes

China has overtaken India as the global epicenter of the diabetes epidemic after a study showed twice as many Chinese are afflicted with the disease as previously estimated.

Type-2 diabetes, mostly caused by a high-calorie diet and sedentary lifestyle, afflicts 92.4 million adults in China. Earlier surveys calculated 43.2 million diabetics in the country, fewer than the 50.8 million that the Brussels-based International Diabetes Federation estimates are in India.

More than half of China’s diabetics have not been diagnosed. That stands in the way of treatment for a disease that increases the risk of dying from stroke and heart attack, and reflects an unwanted consequence of the country’s economic development and rapid urbanization. China will lose $558 billion of national income to diabetes and heart disease between 2005 and 2015, the World Health Organization and World Economic Forum said in a 2008 report.

The aging of the population, urbanization, nutritional changes, and decreasing levels of physical activity, with a consequent epidemic of obesity, have probably contributed to the rapid increase in the diabetes burden in the Chinese population.

There are about 26.8 million diabetics in the U.S., or about 12.3% of the population, according to the IDF. The prevalence is about 7.1% in India and 4.5% in China.

The scientists estimated that an additional 148.2 million people have higher-than-normal blood glucose levels, which put them in a pre-diabetic state.

Diabetes was almost 1.4 times more common among city dwellers than rural residents.

These results indicate that diabetes has become a major public health challenge in China and emphasize  the need for national strategies aimed at the prevention, detection, and treatment of diabetes in the Chinese population. it is well-known truth that diabetes is a silent killer. China’s government should find ways to help people be more physically active and improve their diets.

As China goes through rapid economic expansion and urbanization, its disease spectrum development is similar to what Europe and the U.S. have  experienced. China need to start from trying to change people’s lifestyle. The lack of health care staff per capita is also an obstacle to improving the disease prevention situation.