Charity Diabetes UK has stated that diabetes may become a “national health emergency,” based on the rapidly growing numbers of people being diagnosed with the condition. More than a third of the population have borderline diabetes, whilst nearly 4 million UK citizens actually have the condition.
The charity warned of the consequences of the condition if it continues to grow at its present rate, stating that “If we continue to see people being diagnosed at this rate then the consequences will be disastrous.”
Diabetes UK’s chief executive, Barbara Young, focused on the consequences to the nation’s health, saying “As the number of people with diabetes grows, we are likely to see even more people endure devastating health complications such as amputation and kidney failure and more people die tragically young… It would also lead to an increase in NHS costs that would be simply unsustainable”
Add the following conclusion “It has been suggested that the increase in individuals with long term health conditions such as type 2 diabetes will place an unsustainable strain on the NHS budget. The resounding message is that the UK should place a refreshed focus on the prevention of such conditions as opposed to reacting only when the condition has developed.”
