‘Africa has highest diabetes mortality rate’- GUARDIAN

Published: Tuesday, 05 November 2013 

Written by From Chukwuma Muanya, Frankfurt, Germany

DIABETES is no longer a disease of the rich but of the poor as four out of five people (80 per cent) with diabetes in the world live in low and middle income countries, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
  The latest edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas released on Monday in Frankfurt, Germany, ahead of a two-day seminar tagged “Sanofi’s Engagement in Diabetes”, noted that Africa has the highest mortality rate due to diabetes with 81.2 per cent of diabetics undiagnosed and do not know they have the disease.
  The seminar is organised by Sanofi Biopharmaceuticals to mark its 90-year treatment of diabetes and as part of pre-activities to celebrate 2014 World Diabetes Day on November 14.
  The event, holding at Sanofi Diabetes headquarters of Hoechst in Frankfurt, is bringing together all stakeholders from research and development, industrial affairs and development, and manufacturing of medical devices.
  The IDF also noted that over 371 million people have diabetes and half do not know they have it with China topping the list of 10 countries with the highest number of people, 92.3 million, between the ages of 20 and 79 years. China is closely followed by India with 63 million diabetics, United States (U.S.) with 24.1 million, Brazil with 13.4 million, Russian Federation with 12.7 million and Mexico with 10.6 million diabetics.
  The other countries are: Indonesia with 7.6 million diabetics; Egypt with 7.5 million; Japan with 7.1 million; and Pakistan with 6.6 million.
  A country by country summary table by IDF for 2012 showed that 3,165.31 million Nigerians between the ages of 20 and 79 years have diabetes, while 2,532.25 million Nigerians living with the condition are unaware and undiagnosed. It also showed that the country lost 88,681 persons in 2012 due to diabetes-related illnesses and has a 4.83 per cent comparative prevalence according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.
  The IDF Diabetes Atlas also noted that half of people who die from diabetes are under the age of 60; 4.8 million people died and $471 billion was spent due to diabetes in 2012; and the number of people with the disease is increasing in every country.
  Sanofi offers a vast range of treatments, devices and services to people living with diabetes.
  According to Sanofi in a statement on Monday, as the global burden of diabetes accelerates, the call to foresee the needs of people with diabetes and address the worldwide fragmentation of care intensifies daily.
  Sanofi said the intercontinental region made up of four zones - Eurasia, Turkey and Middle East, South Asia, and Africa - have the highest burden of diabetes. The company said 143 million adults in the intercontinental region are diagnosed with diabetes, among 371 million people worldwide and by 2013, it is estimated there will be 237 million people with diabetes in this region among 552 million worldwide.