Brussels, Belgium: About one in ten adults are living in Belgium have Diabetes, but one in three people suffering from this disease is unaware of their condition. The absence of an official data registry to track the number of patients means the actual figure is probably higher.
Belgium, as a whole, and its three regions, lack an official data registry of people living with Diabetes, which means any figures on the condition are based on indirect indications, as per the Diabetes Liga, an organisation focussing on the prevention of the chronic health condition.
Along with this, Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin, which is a hormone that regulates sugar levels or when the body cannot use the insulin produced effectively. Uncontrolled Diabetes can lead to hyperglycaemia or excessive sugar levels.
Diabetes Liga estimates that, currently, one in ten adults has Diabetes, adding that this figure is constantly growing. “Among those aged over 65, this figure rises to 27 percent,” a report from the organisation read. However, one in three people with Diabetes is unaware of suffering from this disease, highlighting the need for better screening as well as early detection.
Particularly type two Diabetes (adult-onset Diabetes, which is the most common type) is an underestimated disease, as well as one that can lead to kidney problems, blindness as well as heart failure. Additionally, it is increasingly common among younger people as well.
Five percent of the adult population has raised blood sugar levels indicating a risk for Diabetes. The risk of suffering from the disease is also higher for people with lower education, as well as they are also more likely to be unaware of their condition, as well as their illness is also more likely not to be optimally regulated.
In addition, about 5 percent of the adult population has elevated blood sugar levels indicating a risk for Diabetes. The risk of suffering from the issue is also higher for people with lower education. They are also more likely to be unaware of their condition, and their illness is also more likely not to be optimally regulated.
The challenge when it comes to sketching the seriousness of the situation regarding Diabetes is that estimates are largely based on the maximum number of people on Diabetes medication.
For example, one medicine used by patients with type 2 to help regulate their blood sugar levels is being used by people without the condition to help them lose weight, which recently resulted in an imminent shortage of the drug.
