THE DIABETES DEATH GAP
A RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE DYING FROM DIABETES, BUT POORER PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE AT RISK
THE most deprived people in the country are twice as likely to die from diabetes as the least deprived.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there were 5,674 people in England and Wales who died as a result of diabetes in 2017.
One in every eight of those deaths occurred among the most deprived 10 per cent of people in the country.
By comparison, only one in 16 occurred among the least deprived 10 per cent of people.
The diabetes death gap is widening, the data shows.
Figures go back as far as 2012, when one in every eight diabetes deaths happened among the poorest 10 per cent, and one in every 14 among the richest.
Of the 5,674 people killed by diabetes in 2017, females accounted for 2,861 deaths while males made up the remaining 2,813.
The figures include deaths as a result of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can cause kidney failure, amputations, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
According to Diabetes UK, there are nearly 3.7m people who have the disease in the UK.
The charity says that if nothing changes then more than five million people will have diabetes by 2025.
The NHS estimates that between seven and nine million people are at risk of becoming diabetic.
The disease is a serious lifelong condition that means the body cannot process glucose properly.
The most common strain of the disease is type two diabetes, which tends to develop in adulthood.
More than half of cases could be delayed or prevented if people lived healthier lifestyles.
Diabetes can affect circulation and sensation, and causes more than 100 amputations a week and 20,000 premature deaths a year.
Chris Askew, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK, said: “It’s vital that this seriousness is recognised, and that the NHS continues to fund improvements to diabetes care beyond 2019, as it has been doing through the Diabetes Transformation Fund.
“The importance of helping people with diabetes avoid preventable complications, which can often lead to death, cannot be overstated. “If we want to reduce the number of people with diabetes dying early and unnecessarily the investment and work started in 2017 needs to be continued. “Progress is being made and shouldn’t stop now, to ensure the benefits of transformation are fully realised.”