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​Diabetes: A Growing Global Healthcare Challenge
Oct 10, 2017

Diabetes is a major global health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. And trends suggest that is only going to get worse.

Consider these facts:

  • In 2011, 366 million people had diabetes. That number is projected to rise to 592 million by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF).
  • Diabetes caused 4.6 million deaths in 2011, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It accounted for at least $465 billion in healthcare expenditures. This was approximately 11 percent of the total healthcare expenditures in adults age 20 to 79.
  • In the United States, diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages -- approximately 8.3% of the U.S. population, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Among older U.S. residents, that percentage increases to roughly 27%.
  • Approximately 78,000 children develop Type-1 diabetes every year.
  • Global sales of diabetes medicines totaled $35 billion in 2010 and could rise to as much as $48 billion by 2015, according to research firm IMS Health, driven by increased prevalence and treatment, especially in countries such as China, India, Mexico and Brazil.
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