Half of the world's diabetics, don't know they're patients...Quiet Pandemic Concerns
Sep 09, 2025
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Researchers at the Institute for Health Indicators Assessment (IHME) under the University of Washington School of Medicine recently published the findings in the international journal `The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.'
According to the study, which was conducted with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, about 44% of diabetics over the age of 15 are not aware of their disease.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high, type 1 mainly occurs in children and adolescents, and type 2 occurs after adolescence or in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is considered to be the main cause of insulin resistance due to wrong eating habits, lack of exercise, and obesity.
If left untreated, diabetes can cause serious complications such as myocardial infarction, stroke, kidney disease, impaired vision, and nerve damage.
Professor Lorin Stafford, the first author of the study, said: "By 2050, 1.3 billion people are expected to have diabetes worldwide, and if nearly half of them do not know they are suffering from a serious illness, this could be a quiet and deadly pandemic." he warned.
In addition, according to the results of the study, the undiagnosed rate was high, especially in young adults, which are of great concern in that they are at greater risk of long-term complications.
By region, the diagnosis rate is the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, indicating that only less than 20% of diabetics are aware of their disease. On the other hand, the diagnosis rate was the highest in North American high-income countries.
Of the diagnosed patients, 91% were undergoing medication, but only 42% of them were properly managing their blood sugar.
This study re-emphasizes the importance of improving awareness of diabetes and early diagnosis, suggesting the urgent need to strengthen health systems, especially in young and low-income countries. Diabetes is also emerging as a serious public health problem that needs to be addressed worldwide, not just a lifestyle disease.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
