Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Maskot
Topics: Health
Stefania Sarrubba
Take this as your daily reminder to talk about your symptoms with your doctor.
A recent study has warned against a condition that can go undiagnosed and lead to severe complications, including heart attack and stroke - and that a lot of people don't know they have.
We get it, sometimes symptoms can be easily brushed off as consequences of stress, a hectic lifestyle or standard fatigue, but whenever you feel that something is off with your body, it’s best to double check with a doctor.
A quick trip to see your doctor and some in-depth tests, including a fasting blood glucose exam, could tell you if you’re among the man people with this common disease who have no idea they have it.
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According to the concerning new study, about 44% of people aged 15 or older with this chronic condition are unaware they have it - and are therefore not treating it or taking steps to stop it.
We're talking about diabetes, a condition characterised by sky-high blood sugar and that comes in two types.
Type 1 often begins in childhood and can't be prevented, while Type 2 normally develops later in adolescence or in adulthood, with poor diet, inactivity and obesity all being major risk factors for the latter. Type 2 can be prevented or stopped with some lifestyle changes.
According to the NHS, the most common symptoms of diabetes are feeling thirsty all the time, losing weight without trying, peeing more than usual and feeling tired. Other symptoms can include excessive hunger, blurred vision, feeling thirsty, slow-healing wounds, and increased yeast infections.
If left untreated, diabetes can lead to some pretty serious consequences, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems and nerve damage.
The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, states that in 25 years there will be 1.3 billion people with diabetes. Earlier this year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reported that, as of 2024, 11.1% of the adult population, or one person in nine, aged between 20 and 79 years - approximately 589 million adults - was living with diabetes, with over four in 10 unaware they have the condition.
As per the IDF projections for 2050, this number is expected to nearly double.
“By 2050, 1.3 billion people are expected to be living with diabetes, and if nearly half don’t know they have a serious and potentially deadly health condition, it could easily become a silent epidemic,” said Lauryn Stafford, first author of the study and researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
The study found that underdiagnosis is more common among young adults, who are also the demographic at greater risk of developing complications from the disease.
There's a stark difference in the number of diagnosis based on geography and access to resources and medical care, too. The study noted that central sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rates in diabetes diagnosis, with less than 20% of diabetics being aware they have the disease. Meanwhile, high-income North America has the highest rates of diagnosis.