November 1, 2024
Today marks the beginning of National Diabetes Awareness Month. Observed throughout the country, it is a time to support, educate, and spread awareness of the detrimental effects diabetes has on millions of lives around the globe.
It is a time to reflect on the resilience of the T1D community, who carry the burden 24/7.
It is time to advocate for a cure, so the burden never needs to be carried again.
The Global Burden
The infographic above summarizes key insights into the growing global burden of T1D.
As of 2024, an estimated 9.4 million people are living with T1D around the globe, with over 500,000 newly diagnosed this year alone. The prevalence of T1D continues steadily rising, and despite today’s advances in technology that would be seen as miraculous 100 years ago (insulin pumps, CGMs, improved insulins), many people are still dying from this disease. On a global scale, it is estimated that for every two people living with T1D today, a third life is prematurely lost.
In higher-income countries, people living with T1D still battle the disease every day. Hypoglycemic events, which are disruptive at best and deadly at worst, are still far too common even with careful management. Complications of the disease can drastically reduce quality of life. Even with access to advanced care, T1D is estimated to rob 13 years of life.
In low-income countries where basic care or an accurate diagnosis is inaccessible, T1D is akin to a death sentence. The most acute situation is in Sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 48 years of life are lost to T1D. In these countries, a T1D diagnosis is tragic, and despite many years of effort from the UN, WHO, and others, there is no near-term solution in sight. For these people, a Practical Cure cannot come soon enough—it would literally save thousands of lives.
This National Diabetes Month, advocate for a T1D Practical Cure: The only solution to removing the global burden for good.
