An estimated 8.4 million people were living with Type 1 Diabetes across the globe in 2021, and India was among the top ten countries with highest prevalence of the disease, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. This number is predicted to increase to 13.5-17.4 million people living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) by 2040, the resaerchers said. “Given that prevalence of people with T1D is projected to increase in all countries to up to 17.5 million cases in 2040, our results provide a warning for substantial negative implications for societies and healthcare systems,” said Professor Graham Ogle, one of the authors of the study, from the University of Sydney, Australia.

“There is an opportunity to save millions of lives in the coming decades by raising the standard of care for T1D and increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of T1D to enable a 100 per cent rate of diagnosis in all countries,” Ogle said. Researchers modelled data on childhood, adolescent and adult T1D prevalence in 97 countries, along with incidence over time data from 65 countries.

They also analysed mortality data from 37 countries to predict T1D incidence, prevalence, and mortality in 2021 for 201 countries, with projections of future prevalence through 2040.

The estimates were tested for accuracy against real world prevalence data from 15 countries.

In 2021, the model estimated that 8.4 million individuals worldwide were living with T1D. Of these individuals, 18 per cent were under 20 years old, 64 per cent were between 20-59 years, and 19 per cent were over 60 years.

“These findings have important implications for diagnosis, models of care, and peer support programmes,” said Professor Dianna Magliano, one of the authors of the study, from Monash University, Australia.   Source: PTI