The prevalence of global diabetes is vastly underestimated, but new testing procedures could help

A new study carried out by Monash Professor of Diabetes, Paul Zimmet, and co-authors from the UK and the US suggests there may be more than 100 million more people with diabetes globally than previously thought.

The prevalence of global diabetes has been seriously underestimated by at least 25 percent, putting the global count closer to 520 million people instead of the 415 million figure previously estimated by the International Diabetes Federation in 2015.

The paper suggests that the figures on the prevalence of diabetes could be underestimated due to the inconsistent and sometimes inappropriate testing methods used by organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation. There is also a lack of national data on diabetes in many developing countries, contributing to a black hole in our knowledge.

Professor Zimmet said, “The way the global data on diabetes has been collected has been inconsistent and not of the standard needed for public health planning to address what is now one of the most significant chronic disease epidemics in human history.

“There are major and serious gaps in our knowledge of the burden of diabetes, particularly in developing countries, which will have significant unforeseen impacts on national health care systems,” he said.

The study recommends a more consistent approach to diabetes testing. To provide a more accurate set of data, an alternative blood glucose test for both fasting glucose and two hours after a glucose drink test could be utilized. This could prove to be a marked improvement in the accuracy of diagnosis compared to the traditional fasting glucose test method used by many organizations worldwide.

The WHO and the American Diabetes Association also recommend an alternative test, HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin), to circumvent the two-hour test. The average blood glucose method can be a reliable marker to iron out any spikes and anomalies in traditional blood glucose testing methods.

The scale at which the global prevalence of diabetes seems to have been underestimated could have real economic and societal implications, as healthcare providers are required to allocate more and more resources towards the treatment of a disease that already accounts for over 12 percent of global health expenditure.

References:

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160711121513.htm
• Based on a study from Monash University Professor of Diabetes, Paul Zimmet, and co-authors from the UK and the US