THE PREVALENCE OF DIABETES

The number of cases of diabetes in South African adults amounts to over 4.58 million, which represents 12.8% of our adult population, according to April 2020 figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing a number of serious health problems, the IDF notes. “Consistently high blood glucose levels can lead to serious diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth.”

In June this year, Statistics SA released the Mortality and Causes of Death in South Africa report for 2018, the latest processing cycle. Topping the list as the leading cause of death is tuberculosis (TB), followed by diabetes mellitus. However, though the proportion of TB deaths decreased over a three-year period (2016-2018), deaths due to diabetes increased.