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Jun 16, 2009 05:31 PM | 15
Not that long ago many chronic diseases were considered to be problems confined to prosperous countries. But the developing world is fast catching up—especially when it comes to diabetes.
Populous India and China have the most diabetic citizens in the world, with 40.9 million and 39.8 million respectively, according to data from International Diabetes Foundation. Other developing countries, including
In today’s Boston Globe, reporter Derrick Jackson writes from Uganda about the rise of diabetes there and the struggle for funds to fight the disease.
Bitekyerezo Medaro, a doctor who runs a diabetes clinic in
In 2008, the
Image courtesy of MelB via Flickr
Correction: The original version of this post misstated the number of people in India and China with diabetes.
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15 Comments
Add CommentThis article would be more informative if it discussed why diabetes is on the rise in developing countries. What industrial or environmental factors are contributing to the condition?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI honestly think it all boils down to diet... We still just don't know but Type 2 is almost always because the person was very overweight. Type 1 is a mystery for now. They have no idea if it's genetics, Virus, or something we did to our self...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut like I said, I really do think it has to do with a diet the human body was not meant to handle. The body gets forced to compensate when people dump sugar into their system so the pancreas make insulin like crazy and then we do it again. eat more sugary shit, so instead of this nice gradual balance, it's more like a slamming sea saw.... It just wears the hell of out the pancreas, and then it can no longer produce insulin... Till they truly figure this out. I'm gonna be careful w/ my diet ^^
For diabetes and relationship to diet and processed carbohydrates, read "good calories, bad calories", very interesting book.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes/dp/1400040787
That is not possible that China has 929 million diabetics. That's 70% of its population. I checked elsewhere and it may be more like 30 million.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is not possible that China has 929 million diabetics. That's about 70% of the population. I checked elsewhere and it's more like 30 million. Surprised to see this mistake at Scientific American.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think you miss read the article:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPopulous India and China have the most diabetic citizens in the world, with 40.9 million and 39.8 million respectively, according to data from International Diabetes Foundation.
I think you miss read the article Nadine:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPopulous India and China have the most diabetic citizens in the world, with 40.9 million and 39.8 million respectively, according to data from International Diabetes Foundation.
No wonder Dr. Medaro feels defeated when he finds out about the treatment for diabetes when compared to the availability of treatment for Aids. That's not fair, is it? We should all try to do something about it and I know some are. There are children going to the Congress for instance to raise awareness and to request for funding.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvelyn Guzman
http://www.free-symptoms-of-diabetes-alert.com (If you want to visit, just click but if it doesnt work, copy and paste it onto your browser.)
it's called thinning the heard so the fat will die so more will eat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have endured diabetes for 45 years and I'm still looking for the day I can be cured. I'm grateful to have had two healthy children, three grandaughters, and live a good life. I've tried the insulin pump, yet the first week I was on it I developed a virus and was taken off of it. The high blood sugar attributed to the proliferative retinopathy in my right eye. Now I have to have my eyes checked every 3 months and have had laser surgeries several times. I have always taken the best care of myself. My diabetic brother, at the age of 29, died from a second heart attack attributed from his diabetes. We both exercised, kept our weights under control, and took insulin since we were kids. I'm sincerely grateful for the new insulins, testing monitors, and laser treatments that have helped me with my disease, but I really concern myself with the future generation and how their life styles will be affected with the new onsets of diabetes occurring each day. Concurrently, I code at Children's Hospital and I can't believe how many children are coming in with Type I and Type II diabetes. We need a cure and we need it right now!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have endured diabetes for 45 years and I'm still looking for the day I can be cured. I'm grateful to have had two healthy children, three grandaughters, and live a good life. I've tried the insulin pump, yet the first week I was on it I developed a virus and was taken off of it. The high blood sugar attributed to the proliferative retinopathy in my right eye. Now I have to have my eyes checked every 3 months and have had laser surgeries several times. I have always taken the best care of myself. My diabetic brother, at the age of 29, died from a second heart attack attributed from his diabetes. We both exercised, kept our weights under control, and took insulin since we were kids. I'm sincerely grateful for the new insulins, testing monitors, and laser treatments that have helped me with my disease, but I really concern myself with the future generation and how their life styles will be affected with the new onsets of diabetes occurring each day. Concurrently, I code at Children's Hospital and I can't believe how many children are coming in with Type I and Type II diabetes. We need a cure and we need it right now!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have endured diabetes for 45 years and I'm still looking for the day I can be cured. I'm grateful to have had two healthy children, three grandaughters, and live a good life. I've tried the insulin pump, yet the first week I was on it I developed a virus and was taken off of it. The high blood sugar attributed to the proliferative retinopathy in my right eye. Now I have to have my eyes checked every 3 months and have had laser surgeries several times. I have always taken the best care of myself. My diabetic brother, at the age of 29, died from a second heart attack attributed from his diabetes. We both exercised, kept our weights under control, and took insulin since we were kids. I'm sincerely grateful for the new insulins, testing monitors, and laser treatments that have helped me with my disease, but I really concern myself with the future generation and how their life styles will be affected with the new onsets of diabetes occurring each day. Concurrently, I code at Children's Hospital and I can't believe how many children are coming in with Type I and Type II diabetes. We need a cure and we need it right now!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have endured diabetes for 45 years and I'm still looking for the day I can be cured. I'm grateful to have had two healthy children, three grandaughters, and live a good life. I've tried the insulin pump, yet the first week I was on it I developed a virus and was taken off of it. The high blood sugar attributed to the proliferative retinopathy in my right eye. Now I have to have my eyes checked every 3 months and have had laser surgeries several times. I have always taken the best care of myself. My diabetic brother, at the age of 29, died from a second heart attack attributed from his diabetes. We both exercised, kept our weights under control, and took insulin since we were kids. I'm sincerely grateful for the new insulins, testing monitors, and laser treatments that have helped me with my disease, but I really concern myself with the future generation and how their life styles will be affected with the new onsets of diabetes occurring each day. Concurrently, I code at Children's Hospital and I can't believe how many children are coming in with Type I and Type II diabetes. We need a cure and we need it right now!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJack has a point... "thinning the herd." We are doing so much to promote longevity of dangerous, damaging, and anti-fitness genes with our well-intentioned interventions. Consider the plight of couples with infertility. We go to such extremes to see that they successfully bear their own children. Unfortunately, this passes the burden of unsuccessful genes on to the next generation. The children now carry the genes that promote their parents' infertility. This helps the individual but has long-term effects on our society as a whole.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe need to raise awareness of the social and economic impacts that diabetes will have on us globally.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's too big a task for any one government to tackle so they pay lip service and move on.
I am trying to raise awareness and funds for research at http://www.crusadersagainstdiabetes.org - please do all you can to help