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The disease

In 2002 the American Diabetes Society estimated the number of people suffering from diabetes in the United States to be in excess of 18.2 million (150 million worldwide).

Approximately 10% of diabetes patients suffer from Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes. The great majority (about 90%) of sufferers have Type 2 diabetes, which is acquired later in life. Over 200,000 people are reported to die from diabetes each year (although the American Diabetes Association estimates that in reality this number could be closer to 500,000) and over 1.3 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year in the United States alone.

Canada presents a similar portrait with over 2.5 million people affected by the disease, which is Canada’s leading cause of blindness and kidney failure. The number of cases is expected to reach three million by the end of the decade due to the aging of the population, increasing rates of obesity and the sedentary lifestyle of Canadians.

The prevalence and incidence of diabetes is also increasing in most other developed countries in the World. According to The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), it was estimated in 2003 that 5.1% of people in the 20-79 age bracket in all IDF member countries have diabetes. The European region and the Western Pacific region have the highest number of people with diabetes, approximately 48 and 43 million respectively. The highest prevalence of diabetes is to be found in the North American region (7.9%) followed by the European region (7.8%).

Ce document à été préparé par: Montréal International