As today is international Diabetes day here are some of the current statistics on Diabetes in Australia from Diabetes Australia. Are you or someone you love effected by Diabetes?
An estimated 280 Australians develop diabetes every day. The 2005 Australian AusDiab Follow-up Study (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study) showed that 1.7 million Australians have diabetes but that up to half of the cases of type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed. By 2031 it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes (Vos et al., 2004).
The total financial cost of type 2 diabetes is estimated at $10.3 billion. Of this, carer costs were estimated as $4.4 billion, productivity losses were $4.1 billion, health system costs were $1.1 billion and $1.1 billion was due to obesity.
There is no doubt diabetes is a serious health crisis but it’s not all bad news. Up to 58% of cases of type 2 can be prevented and we know that good blood glucose control and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly improve the complications associated with diabetes.
Fast Facts
- 280 Australians develop diabetes every day
- Over 100,000 Australians have developed diabetes in the past year.
- Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia
- Almost 1.1 million Australians currently have diagnosed diabetes. This includes:120,000 people with type 1 diabetes
956,000 people with type 2 diabetes
23,600 women with gestational diabetes
- For every person diagnosed with diabetes there is usually a family member or carer who also ‘lives with diabetes’ every day in a support role. This means that an estimated 2.2 million Australians are affected by diabetes every day.
- The total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is estimated at 3.2 million
- Indigenous Australians are 3 times more likely to have type 2 diabetes compared with non-Indigenous Australians
- At least 2 million Australians have pre-diabetes and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Up to 58% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented in the high risk (pre-diabetes) population.
Source http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Understanding-Diabetes/Diabetes-in-Australia/