Diabetes Crisis Grows As UK Cases Reach 5 Million

The UK is experiencing a "rapidly escalating" diabetes crisis, with cases topping 5 million for the first time and under-40s increasingly affected, a report warns.

- Andrew Gregory

About 90% of diabetes patients have type 2, a condition that is much more likely to develop if people are overweight. About two in three adults in the UK are now either obese or overweight.

A report by Diabetes UK today reveals an all-time high in cases: 4.3m have been officially diagnosed with diabetes and another 850,000 are living with it but have not yet been diagnosed. Another 2.4 million are at high risk of developing the type 2 form in the UK, the report warns. "These latest figures show we're in the grip of a rapidly escalating diabetes crisis, with spiralling numbers of people now living with type 2 diabetes and millions at high risk of developing the condition," said Chris Askew, the chief executive of Diabetes UK.

The stark figures mean millions of Britons are at increased risk of complications, including heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke, amputation and blindness.

As a result, the UK faces a public health emergency unless action is taken, Askew said. "Diabetes is serious, and every diagnosis is life changing. It's a relentless condition, and the fear of serious complications is a lifelong reality for millions of people across the UK.