The Global Burden of Diabetes

The ubiquity and burdens (morbidity, mortality, and costs) of diabetes have grown and will continue to increase globally, disproportionately affecting vulnerable subpopulations and poorer nations. Although the heterogeneity across countries makes comparisons difficult, patterns of mortality and costs allude to consistent regional themes described in this chapter. Data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of the world are scarce. Delayed diagnosis and early progression to late-stage diabetes-related complications are common globally but more pronounced in LMICs. LMICs will also contend with a greater proportion of future human, societal, and economic costs due to larger population size and rapid escalation in diabetes prevalence. Health costs are largely driven by more health visits, diabetes-related complications, lengthy hospital stays, paramedical care, and uptake of newer, more expensive diagnostic and therapeutic tools in high-income country settings, while accessing health facilities and procuring common antidiabetic drugs consume a large proportion of family savings in LMICs. Ultimately, societal burdens in the form of lost human and social capital perpetually strain economic development in countries already grappling with this growing epidemic.