13 Jun 2023

Diabetes Awareness Week 2023

The goal of Diabetes Awareness Week is to increase public awareness about diabetes, its effects on people and communities, and the value of prevention, early detection, and its effective management. The event is usually organized by various diabetes organizations, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups around the world.

The primary goals of Diabetes Awareness Week are:

Educating the public
Promoting prevention
Encouraging early detection
Supporting people with diabetes
Advocacy and policy initiatives

By raising the understanding of the disease and its implications, Diabetes Week aims to reduce the prevalence and impact of diabetes and improve the overall health and well-being of people affected by it.

Diabetes, also known as Diabetes Mellitus, is a chronic medical condition characterized by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar) or does not effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is necessary for the body to convert glucose from food into energy.

3 types of Diabetes are currently recognized:

Type 1 Diabetes

This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce insulin, a hormone necessary for regulating blood sugar levels.

Type 2 Diabetes

It is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 95% of the cases. It occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin and/or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy and affects women who previously didn’t have diabetes. It occurs when hormonal changes during pregnancy impair the body’s ability to use insulin effectively.

Statistics

According to the statistics, 537 million adults are living with diabetes (1/10 of the world population). The global diabetes prevalence is constantly growing. The number of diabetes cases is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.

In 2021, diabetes and its complications were responsible for 6.7 million deaths – 1 every 5 seconds. Diabetes caused at least USD 966 billion dollars in health expenditure – a 316% increase over the last 15 years.

Most people with diabetes live in the Western Pacific region – 1 in 8 adults (38%). The second largest incidence of diabetes is observed in Southeast Asia where 90 million people (17%) are affected. In the Middle East and North Africa it affects 73 million people (14%).

Diabetes Awareness, diabetes around the world

Clinical Trials in Diabetes

According to Clinicaltrials.gov there are currently 3298 ongoing clinical trials in Diabetes (recruiting, not yet recruiting, and active, non-recruiting). The top regions in the Diabetes clinical trials are North America, Europe, and East Asia.

There are 774 ongoing clinical trials in patients with type 1 diabetes, the majority are conducted in the United States and Europe. More than double the amount of research – 1837 trials – is being conducted in type 2 diabetes. Gestational Diabetes is being studied in 201 ongoing clinical trials.

Cromos Pharma has extensive experience in managing all aspects of clinical trials in diabetes, in all phases, including rescue, post-marketing and observational studies. Endocrinology trials represent a substantial part of the company’s research portfolio.