Diabetes Report 2011

Diabetes is a growing public health problem in England. The rate of diabetes (a risk factor for heart disease) in the East of England has increased by more than 13,000 to 257,835 in the past year (1). This increase has been in cases of type II. The population of Suffolk in 2007/8 was 592,061 and prevalence of type I and type II diabetes at the time was said to be 3.6%, compared to 3.9% nationally. However, by 2009, this figure had increased, bringing the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among those aged 17 years and older in Suffolk PCT to 3.8% compared to 4% in all PCTs with similar diabetes risk(2).

Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) highlights the fact that diabetes is a national and local priority which carries with it significant morbidity and early mortality (2). Many people are unaware that they have diabetes, so when the estimated percentage of those undiagnosed are included within these figures, the prevalence rate of type II diabetes rises sharply to 4.6% or 27,234 of people living in Suffolk (2).

Diabetes UK states that 25,882 people (aged 17 years and older) with diabetes in Suffolk are registered with GP practices (1). Whilst type I is diagnosed in childhood, type II increase after 45 years of age. Type II diabetes is higher in areas experiencing deprivation, for example, people living in the 20% of the most deprived areas in England are 56% more likely to have diabetes than those living in the least deprived areas (3). Suffolk PCT states that type II diabetes reduces the life expectancy of an individual by up to10 years.