Basic facts
From 1990 to 2022, the number of people living with diabetes increased from 200 million to 830 million. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing faster in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
In 2022, more than half of people living with diabetes did not take medications to control the disease. The lowest diabetes treatment coverage was observed in low- and middle-income countries.
Diabetes causes blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes and leads to the need for amputation of the lower extremities.
It is estimated that over 2 million people died from diabetes and related kidney diseases in 2021. In addition, about 11% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases were caused by high blood sugar levels.
A healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and quitting smoking – all this helps to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is treatable, and diet, physical activity, medication, and regular monitoring and treatment of complications help prevent or delay the onset of its effects.
General information
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. A common consequence of uncontrolled diabetes is hyperglycemia, or elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood, which over time leads to serious damage to many body systems, especially nerves and blood vessels.

In 2022, 14% of adults aged 18 and over had diabetes, which is 7% more than in 1990. In the same year, more than half (59%) of adults living with diabetes aged 30 and over did not take medications to control their disease. The lowest diabetes treatment coverage was observed in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2021, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.6 million deaths, with 47% of all diabetes-related deaths occurring among people under the age of 70. Another 530,000 deaths were caused by diabetes-related kidney diseases, and elevated blood glucose levels are responsible for about 11% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases (1).

Diabetes-related mortality rates have been increasing since 2000. On the contrary, between 2000 and 2019, the probability of death from any of the four major non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, or diabetes) Between the ages of 30 and 70, it decreased by 20% worldwide.

Symptoms
The symptoms of diabetes can occur suddenly. With type 2 diabetes, they can be mild and make themselves felt for the first time after many years.

Typical symptoms of diabetes:

intense thirst;
the need to urinate more often than usual;
blurred vision;
increased fatigue;
unintentional weight loss.
Over time, diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the heart, eyes, and kidneys, as well as the nervous system.