Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes rising in Gloucestershire
Cases of younger people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK are rising to ‘alarming levels’, a charity has warned.
Recent data from charity Diabetes UK has found 1,300 people under 40 years old are living with type 2 diabetes in Gloucestershire.
The report reveals there was a 48.6% increase in the number of people for that age group diagnosed with the condition between 2016-17 and 2022-23.
Phaedra Perry, Head of Diabetes UK – south west and south central said:
“Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in people under 40 are rising to alarming levels in Gloucestershire and across the UK. It’s a damning indictment of the barriers that many of us face to living a healthy life, where good food is affordable, and exercise isn't a luxury."
Many thousands more young adults are likely to be living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, after a recent report by the Office for National Statistics estimated that 50% of those aged 16-44 with type 2 diabetes hadn’t yet received a diagnosis.
The condition is known to have more severe and acute consequences in people under 40 and, without the right treatment and support, it can lead to serious diabetes complications that include kidney failure and heart disease. Devastatingly, those who develop type 2 diabetes at a younger age are also more likely to die early.
As part of Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week, Diabetes UK is urging people to check their risk of the condition by using the charity’s free, online Know Your Risk tool.