Diabetes affects 233 million Chinese, study says

China has an estimated 233 million diabetic patients by the year 2023, up 163 percent over 2005, latest study by Chinese public health experts has found.

The study led by researcher Zhou Maigeng with the National Center for Chronic Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was published in the June issue of the journal Military Medical Research.

Previously, the International Diabetes Federation estimated that China has 140 million diabetes patients.

Compared to 2005, the diabetes prevalence has increased by nearly 50 percent, from 7.53 percent to 13.7 percent in 2023, according to the latest study. If the trend continues, the national prevalence is projected to reach 29.1 percent by 2050.

The health burden and economic cost associated with diabetes are profound. There is an urgent need to scale up preventive efforts and improve population awareness to enhance disease management and achieve optimal treatment outcomes, urged the study.

The study also found that males had higher prevalence than females in general and the cities with the highest diabetes prevalence and disease burden were Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.

The surge in diabetes prevalence was closely tied to the rapid increase in obesity rates. The prevalence of obesity among adults increased from 7.1 percent in 2002 to 16.4 percent during 2015–2019, it showed.

Notably, with effective policies implemented to halt the rising obesity epidemic, researchers projected that the prevalence will gradually flatten and remain below 15 percent nationally in 2050.

Diabetes affects multiple organ systems and causes a variety of vascular and non-vascular complications, such as diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy, cardiovascular diseases, as well as liver and kidney conditions, experts warned.

In 2021, 6.47 percent of total years lived with disability in China were attributed to diabetes and high fasting plasma glucose in general, ranking it the fourth highest risk factor for disease burden. The economic costs associated with diabetes were equally staggering. A recent study estimated that without immediate intervention, the total cost associated with diabetes in the country will reach $460 billion in 2030.