Diabetes cases set to jump in the next two decades

(UPI) -- New figures published Thursday on World Diabetes Day show that in 2035 one in ten of the world's population will have diabetes.

Published by the International Diabetes Federation, the report shows that the number of people suffering from diabetes will surge from the 382 million at present to 592 million in 2035. Many of those affected, nearly 80 percent, will be below the age of 60 and come from middle- and low-income countries.

"The misconception that diabetes is ‘a disease of the wealthy’ is still held, to the detriment of desperately needed funding to combat the pandemic,” said Michael Hirst, president of the IDF.

The number of people expected to die from diabetes has risen from 4.8 million in 2012 to 5.1 million in 2013. What is worrying is that 175 million people are living undiagnosed, with nearly half of the undiagnosed in South East Asia.

China with 98 million, India with 65 million and the U.S. with 24 million have the highest number of people with diabetes. Regionally, the Western Pacific has the worst number -- 138 million people have the disease.

Nations like the Pacific Island of Tokelau, where one in three people have diabetes, give a disturbing insight into how the disease may spread in nations with larger populations.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes, those with high blood glucose, is increasing in every country. While exercise and lifestyle changes can control type 2 diabetes, most people have to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels and could face complication such as stroke, heart disease and in some cases amputation.

[International Diabetes Federation]