The number of people with diabetes in the UK is set to exceed four million by the year 2020The charity Diabetes UK has said that the total number of people with diabetes is likely to reach 4.4 million by 2020, based on an analysis of figures from the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory.
This would be likely to put the NHS under substantial financial pressure, as it is already spending approximately 10% of its budget on treating patients with diabetes.
Barbara Young, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said that the combination of spending cuts caused by austerity measures with a steep rise in people with diabetes is a “perfect storm”, which could potentially bankrupt the NHS.
Now Diabetes UK has called on the Government to increase awareness by launching a public health campaign. The vast majority of new cases are expected to be Type 2 diabetes, which is a long-term condition where the body does not produce or process insulin properly.
There is a link between Type 2 diabetes and being overweight. People can help to prevent diabetes by adopting a healthy diet and being active. Potential consequences of the condition include kidney failure, strokes, amputation and blindness.
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