Khaberni - Diabetes causes a massive economic burden on the world and threatens healthcare systems.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder, affecting one in ten adults globally. The number of people affected continues to rise, which increases pressures on economies and public health systems.
A new study has revealed the global and national economic costs of diabetes and provided recommendations to mitigate this burden.
The research team from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna) conducted a comprehensive study covering 204 countries from 2020 to 2050 to calculate the economic impact of diabetes.
Researchers found that the global costs, excluding informal family care, reach about 10 trillion US dollars, equivalent to 0.2% of the global annual GDP. When accounting for informal care, the costs rise to 152 trillion dollars, representing 1.7% of the GDP, reflecting the significant economic impact of the disease.
Klaus Breitner, an economic expert at Vienna University and one of the authors of the study, explained, "Caregivers often partially withdraw from the job market, adding additional economic costs."
The high proportion of informal care, accounting for between 85% and 90% of the total economic burden, is due to the disease prevalence exceeding mortality rates by 30 to 50 times. Although diabetes is more common in low-income countries, the United States bears the highest absolute costs, followed by China and India.
Michael Kuhn, acting head of the Economic Frontiers Research Group at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, adds: "These rankings reflect the size of economies in terms of GDP and population, but notably, the Czech Republic bears the highest burden as a percentage of GDP, at 0.5%, followed by the United States and Germany at 0.4%. Ireland, Monaco, and Bermuda face the highest economic burdens per capita, reaching 18,000 dollars, 12,000 dollars, and 8,000 dollars, respectively."
The distribution of the economic burden of diabetes varies between high-income and low-income countries; treatment costs constitute 41% of the economic burden in high-income countries compared to only 14% in low-income countries.
Diabetes and "COVID-19"
Diabetes has proven to be one of the major risk factors for death from "COVID-19". A side analysis by researchers showed that the economic burden of diabetes increases when accounting for the impacts of "COVID-19", rising from 0.16% to 0.22% of GDP in China, and from 0.4% to 0.65% in the United States, and from 0.4% to 0.45% in Germany.
Necessity of Urgent Measures
Researchers indicate that diabetes imposes an economic burden exceeding that of some other chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer's, dementia, and cancer. They stressed that the best ways to reduce this burden are promoting healthy lifestyles, including regular physical activity and a balanced diet, which significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Early detection also plays a pivotal role, through comprehensive screening programs for all populations, alongside rapid diagnosis and immediate treatment for those who display symptoms or risk factors of diabetes, reducing health and economic repercussions.
