A new analysis by Diabetes UK indicates that 1 individual is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) every 3 minutes in England and Wales. The statistics were released to mark the commencement of NHS England’s Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week (1st to 7th April 2019).
In 2017, there were 202,665 diagnoses of T2D in England and Wales, which translates to 23 diagnoses every hour, or 1 diagnosis every 3 minutes. New diagnoses of T2D in England, Wales and Scotland in 2017 were 192,245, 10,420 and 16,216, respectively. The total number of individuals living with diabetes in the United Kingdom is currently 4.7 million. Treatment of diabetes and its complications accounts for 10 per cent of NHS England's annual budget.
The alarming increase in the diagnosis of T2D has been primarily driven by the obesity epidemic. Among all risk factors for T2D, overweight or obesity is the most significant, accounting for 80-85 per cent of an individual’s risk. Dr Partha Kar, NHS England's Associate Clinical Director for Diabetes, said: "These figures underline the importance of wider action on obesity prevention and confirm the importance of the action set out in the NHS Long Term Plan."
