The National Diabetes Audit by the U.K.’s National Health Service has just released some stark statistics on the effects of diabetes. One of the most dismal statistics shows that people with diabetes are 65% more likely to have heart failure than the general population in England and Wales. Also, people with type 1 diabetes have a death rate 135% higher than the national rate for the U.K.
The audit is now in its eighth year and is the largest of its kind. It surveyed nearly two million people with diabetes from 2010 to 2011. The study is mamaged by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), Diabetes UK, and Diabetes Health Intelligence.
“These results highlight the huge impact of diabetes on disability and premature death,” said Dr. Bob Young, a consultant diabetologist and clinical lead for the National Diabetes Information Service. “Much can be done to reduce these risks if all health care sectors work together with people who have diabetes. Some districts have appreciably lower diabetes related complications than others. Improving treatment for diabetes should be a top priority for all clinical services.”
The audit shows that diabetics are 48% more likely to suffer a heart attack, 25% more likely to suffer a stroke, 144% more likely to need renal replacement therapy, 331% more likely to need a part of their foot amputated, and 210% more likely to need a major leg amputation. In addition, diabetics have an overall 40% higher risk of death and women with diabetes had a noticeably greater risk of death than men with the disease. The relative risk rate of death for women with type 1 diabetes was found to be 142%.