10% Of Deaths In 20 To 79-Year-Olds Caused By Diabetes, UK

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 12 Aug 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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New figures¹ reveal that more than one in ten (11.6 per cent) deaths among 20 to 79-year-olds in England can be attributed to diabetes, warns leading health charity Diabetes UK.

If current trends continue, one in eight (12.2 per cent) deaths among 20 to 79-year-olds will be attributable to the condition by 2010. This work is based on data that shows adults under 80 with diabetes are around twice as likely to die as those without the condition and women with diabetes have a greater increased risk of death compared to their male counterparts.

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "These new figures are truly alarming and confirm that diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges facing the UK today. There are currently 2.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and more than half a million people are unaware they have the condition.

"Good self-management, awareness, and improved access to specialist diabetes care services are crucial if we are to curb this growing health crisis and see a reduction in the number of people dying from diabetes and complications attributed to the condition."

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) with the highest percentage of diabetes-attributable deaths are areas with a higher than average proportion of the population over 40 and where there are large numbers of over 40s of Asian and Black origin, who are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. These areas also have high levels of deprivation compared to PCTs with the lowest proportion of deaths.

The percentage of diabetes-attributable deaths varied at PCT level from 9 per cent in Buckinghamshire [i] to 17 per cent in Newham, East London [ii].

By using a method that combines data from previous research studies and estimates of diabetes prevalence² with population and mortality data, the work is able to provide a more accurate picture of the number of deaths attributable to diabetes than from routine sources which often fail to identify diabetes or diabetes-related complications as the principal cause of death.

Whilst still around twice as likely to die as their peers without the condition, the number of deaths in the younger age groups is small compared to the older age groups.

Diabetes can be fatal in a number of ways. Around 80 per cent of people with the condition die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) - high blood glucose levels can cause damage to blood vessels which can result in a stroke or heart attack. Diabetes is also the main cause of end stage renal failure (ESRF) - an irreversible decline in kidney function.

A hypoglycaemic attack or a "hypo" - a condition where the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood drops - can also lead to death on rare occasions. Similarly, high blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia) left untreated can result in death through diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which occurs as a result of a lack of insulin.

John Clark, from Dagenham, East London, had Type 2 diabetes and died of heart failure in May this year, aged 51.

His wife, Elaine, said: "John was first diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 and despite warnings about his high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, continued to smoke, drink too much, eat unhealthy takeaways, and not monitor his blood glucose levels properly. He would also often walk out of check-up appointments if he had to wait too long.

"As a result, John lost most of his vision from diabetic retinopathy within three months in 2000; he went completely blind a year later. In July 2007 he had a stroke and spent 17 weeks in hospital. Soon after returning home he began having severe hypos and wasn't eating so was readmitted for a further 16 weeks, in which time he lost six stone. He was then moved to a nursing home where he died three weeks later.

"From day one, I struggled to find specialist diabetes care for John. There was no care group in my area until 2003 and it was only after I became a committee member of a new local group that I found out about the dangers of diabetes and what services were available.

"Diabetes Specialist Nurses were also under-funded and in short supply where we lived; it was only through a personal contact that I managed to find one. As it was never offered, I had to chase for diabetes foot care and despite urgent requests by a District Nurse for John to see a dietician at Christmas 2007 the hospital could only offer an appointment the following August.

"Even after John died I had to persuade the coroner to register diabetes as a secondary cause on his death certificate. He explained that as the condition was not the direct cause of death, it wasn't usually recorded.

"There needs to be better public awareness about the seriousness of diabetes and better access to care for people with the condition. No-one should have to go through what my family and I have."

For further information about diabetes and how to manage the condition visit http://www.diabetes.org.uk.

i PCTs with the lowest % of deaths attributable to diabetes between 20 and 79 years, 2005:- Number %

Buckinghamshire 199 9.25%
South Gloucestershire 90 10.02%
Berkshire West 149 10.03%
Wiltshire 177 10.03%
Surrey 406 10.09%
Cambridgeshire 216 10.10%
Hampshire 498 10.16%
Bath and North East Somerset 73 10.37%
Richmond and Twickenham 55 10.39%
North Yorkshire and York 360 10.42%

ii PCTs with the highest % of deaths attributable to diabetes between 20 and 79 years, 2005:- Number %

Newham 152 17.08%
Brent Teaching 147 16.84%
Tower Hamlets 108 16.02%
Leicester City 204 15.92%
Ealing 160 15.21%
City and Hackney Teaching 104 15.02%
Harrow 108 14.90%
Lambeth 138 14.65%
Waltham Forest 118 14.60%
Lewisham 146 14.59%

Notes

1 In 2005 there were 26, 300 diabetes-attributable deaths among 20 to 79-year-olds - 'Diabetes Attributable Deaths: Estimating the excess deaths among people with diabetes', Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory - http://www.yhpho.org.uk/viewResource.aspx?id=1480

2 The PBS Diabetes Prevalence Model estimates the total number of people with diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in England, Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory - http://www.yhpho.org.uk/PBS_diabetes.aspx

3 Diabetes UK is the charity for people with diabetes. We fund more than £7 million of medical research every year, provide information and support to people with diabetes and campaign on their behalf. For more information visit http://www.diabetes.org.uk.

4 In the UK, there are currently 2.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that more than half a million people have the condition but do not know it.

5 The Diabetes UK Careline (0845 120 2960) offers information and support on any aspect of managing diabetes. The line is a lo-call number and opens Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (operates a translation service). Recorded information on a number of diabetes-related topics is also available on this number 24 hours a day.

6 Membership of Diabetes UK is from £22 a year with special rates available. In addition to our bi-monthly magazine Balance, members receive support and the latest information on diabetes care and treatments to help them live a healthy life.

Three hundred people are diagnosed with diabetes in the UK - every day Search the web and raise funds for Diabetes UK at http://www.everyclick.com/diabetesuk

Search the web and raise funds for Diabetes UK at http://www.everyclick.com/diabetesuk/

Diabetes UK, the charity that cares about people with diabetes

Diabetes UK is the operating name of The British Diabetic Association, a company limited by guarantee. Registered as a company in England & Wales No. 339181. Registered as a charity in England & Wales (No. 215199) and in Scotland (No. SC039136). VAT registration No. 232 3801 96. Registered address: Macleod House, 10 Parkway, London NW1 7AA.

Diabetes UK