Five million people in England at risk of Type 2 diabetes

Public Health England (PHE) has today published a report warning of high numbers of people who are living at high risk of Type 2 diabetes.

According to the public health body, an estimated five million people living in England have blood sugar levels that put them at risk of what is also known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, a condition that causes 22,000 ‘early deaths’ a year and costs an estimated £8.8m for the NHS to treat.

Compiled using data from the PHE’s National Cardiovascular Health Intelligence Network (NCVIN), the report claims to contain the most accurate reflection ever of Type 2 diabetes statistics, which the organisation hopes will result in a robust public health response. To which end it is poised to source input from practitioners, clinicians and academics throughout 2016.

PHE chief executive Duncan Selbie comments: “We know how to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: lose weight, exercise and eat healthily, but it’s hard to do it alone. PHE’s evidence review shows that supporting people along the way will help them protect their health and that’s what our prevention programme will do.

Professor Jonathan Valabhji, national clinical director for diabetes and obesity at NHS England, adds: “There are too many people on the cusp of developing Type 2 diabetes and we can change that. The growing body of evidence makes us confident that our NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will reduce the numbers of those at risk going on to develop the debilitating disease.”

Type 2 diabetes is associated with a number of life-changing conditions related to the heart, kidneys, eyes and feet, as well as increasing the risk of stroke. The data also shows that areas with large ethnic minority populations record higher rates, alongside areas with older populations.

Diabetes UK chief executive Barbara Young comments: “Having high blood glucose levels significantly increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is a serious health condition which affects 2.9 million people in England, and can lead to devastating complications such as blindness, amputations and stroke, and ultimately early death.

“This is why it is really important that people at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes are given evidence-based support to reduce their risk. As well as helping to reduce the human cost of Type 2 diabetes, this would also go a long way to helping to reduce costs to the NHS.

“The NHS spends 10 per cent of its entire budget managing diabetes and unless we get better at preventing Type 2 diabetes this figure will rise to unsustainable levels.”