Hospitals treat 5,000 diabetics a day as obesity crisis takes toll

HOSPITALS are treating 5,000 type 2 diabetics a day, figures reveal as one in 10 patients is now suffering from the illness.

More than 1.7 million people with type 2 diabetes were admitted to hospitals last year, costing the NHS an estimated £22 million a day.

The figure has doubled in a decade and last night the head of the NHS told the Daily Mail: “Our ever-expanding waistlines are taking a growing toll.”

Simon Stevens said the “alarming rise” in admissions across the board was putting “avoidable pressure” on our hospitals.

The illness appears to be having a particularly serious impact on younger women, NHS Digital data show.

Two thirds of the type 2 diabetes admissions for the under-40s last year involved female patients and there is evidence they are more susceptible to complications. The data only covers those patients with type 2 diabetes, which is strongly linked to being overweight and sedentary.

The figures show there were 4,992 admissions for women aged 20 to 29 in 2018-19, compared with 1,755 for men.

Similarly, there were 16,707 admissions for women aged 30 to 39 compared with 10,207 for men.

Overall, women accounted for 65 per cent of the 34,601 admissions among the under-40s last year. An estimated 4.7 million adults and children have diabetes, the majority with type 2.

This number has doubled since 1998, in line with rising obesity levels and the condition is believed to cost the NHS £14billion annually.

It comes as research by the British Heart Foundation shows that hospital admissions for patients with heart failure have risen by a third in five years.

Its analysis shows admissions for heart failure in English hospitals reached record levels of 86,474 last year, rising from 65,025 in 2013.

The BHF said the rise was a third faster than the average increase in hospital admissions for all other health conditions.

It is calling for improvements in detecting heart failure and for GPS to be given access to specialist blood tests and heart scans to diagnose the condition earlier.

It is estimated that around 920,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure.

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the BHF, said: “It’s concerning to see yet another increase in hospital admissions – an indication that how we diagnose, treat and care for these patients needs urgent attention.”

He added: “We need to find new and improved ways of delivering this care, including in communities rather than hospitals.”