Title: BBC NEWS | Health | Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
Headings: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
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Content: This research is a sad indictment of the current state of the UK's health
Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK
'Diabetes makes me cry'
The findings suggest that rates of diabetes are increasing at a faster rate in the UK than they are in the US, where prevalence of the disease is already one of the highest in the world. Of more than 42,642 people who were newly diagnosed with the disease between 1996 and 2005, just over 1,250 had the "insulin-dependent" type 1 diabetes, and more than 41,000 had later-onset type 2 disease, which is linked to lifestyle. While the numbers of new cases of type 1 diabetes remained fairly constant over the decade, the numbers of new cases of type 2 diabetes did not. These shot up from 2.60 to 4.31 cases per 1,000 patient years, equivalent to an increase of 69% over the decade. The researchers from Spain and Sweden who analysed the data from almost five million medical records say the trends are not due to increased screening or the UK's ageing population, but from rising obesity rates. 'Time bomb'
Over the course of the study, the proportion of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were obese increased by a fifth. The researchers said: " Our results suggest that, although the incidence of diabetes remains lower in the UK than in the USA or Canada, it appears to be increasing at a faster pace." Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said projections suggested the worst was yet to come: " Rates of obesity and diabetes will continue to rise unless we do something urgently."