Diabetes Mellitus, Epidemiology

Diabetes is a global epidemic, affecting approximately 194 million people, a number expected to double by 2030. Diabetes is associated with damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and blood vessels, resulting in heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and blindness. The epidemic of type 2 diabetes is a consequence of the rise in obesity, including childhood obesity. This earlier onset means that diabetes complications are appearing in the working-age population rather than exclusively in older people. Economic development and urbanization bring about Western eating habits and decreased physical activity and are contributing factors to this epidemic.