Diabetes Mellitus – The Epidemic of 21 Century

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the commonly experienced diseases worldwide but it is more commonly seen in third world countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and others. It is considered as the epidemic of the 21st century. According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 2021 figures, 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes all over the world (1 in 10 people) and  this is predicted to be 634 million by 2030. Over 3 in 4  adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. Pakistan is one of the most affected  countries in the world and is ranked 3rd by the number of adults with diabetes after China and India. Approximately, 33 million adults are affected with diabetes in Pakistan and overall prevalence is about 26.7%.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that results  from insulin deficiency and or peripheral insulin resistance. It can affect people of all age groups. There are several types of diabetes but Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is the most common with 90% of all the diabetics being affected with this type. This type usually affects the adults and becoming more common in obese people. Long-term diabetes may proceed to serious, chronic complications having impact on the lives of individuals, families and societies. Patients are usually asymptomatic or have less or vague symptoms, diagnosed late and may be already having serious complications. It may affect the major organs of the body and may lead to blindness, renal failure, stroke, cardiovascular disease and diabetic foot complications. It is also considered as one of the major causes of cardiac related deaths being two third of the diabetic patients die of cardiovascular disease.