Mind the Gap: A Scoping Review of Aging and Diabetes in Mexico

Latin America is currently undergoing a major demographic transition that has resulted in dramatically increased lifespans. This transition has been accompanied by a sharp increase in non-communicable diseases, and Mexico, by example, is amongst the most acutely affected by these changes. Diabetes is the country’s leading cause of death and disability (Bello-Chavolla, Rojas-Martinez, Aguilar-Salinas, & Hernandez-Avila, 2017). Approximately 14% of the total population, or 18 million people, are living with the disease (Bello-Chavolla et al., 2017). Given Mexico’s aging population, this number is expected to grow, reaching 18% and 22% by 2030 and 2050, respectively (Rojas-Martinez et al., 2018). Demographers project that this increase disproportionately impacts older adults, with one study projecting a rise from 19.3% prevalence in 2012 to 34% in 2050 among adults over age 50 (Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Tysinger, Goldman, & Wong, 2017). Such a rapid upward trend in the prevalence of diabetes in Mexico among older adults, and its serious complications—cardiovascular disease, blindness, amputations, renal failure, and dementia —that cause much suffering and shortening of lives, is urging Mexican public health officials to improve the quality of diabetes care (Guthrie & Fleck, 2017).