About 34% of the people living with diabetes have cardiovascular complications, 39.5% neurological complications, and 24% kidney complications, said Deputy Minister of Health Assoc. Prof. & Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong.

She pointed to the fact that the diagnosed rate is only about 35%, and only 23.3% of the patients are given treatment at medical facilities.

The professional warned the number of diabetes cases in Vietnam as well as elsewhere in the world is projected to continue to increase rapidly in the coming years.

According to experts, the disease is mainly caused by overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity, and early diagnosis and treatment are key to preventing or slowing down the dangerous complications.

To reduce the risk, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong called on people to follow a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a reasonable weight, using iodine in daily meals, increasing physical activity, and actively learning more about diabetes to prevent and early detect the disease.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reports the world had 537 million people living with diabetes last year, and the figure is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.  On average one in every 10 adults aged 20-79 get the disease and one in every six children are affected by the disease during fetal development. In particular, up to 50% of adults with diabetes go undiagnosed.

Source: VOV