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han hongying， 59， remembers the numbing shock when she was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago.“I was scared by the lingering pain the disease will bring to me and my family，” Han， a retired worker in Beijing， told ChinAfrica.
Her biggest fear was the thought of battling this chronic disease for the rest of her life. Danger of complications like amputation， blindness， renal failure as well as cardiovascular diseases persisted in her mind. “The lifelong treatment will cost a large sum of money and may destroy me psychologically，” said Han.
Han’s experience mirrors those of millions of Chinese diabetics. A finding about the high prevalence of diabetes in Chinese adults published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on September 3， 2013， raised concerns among the public about the disease and its implications on the nation’s economy. The study shows that about 11.6 percent of Chinese adults have diabetes， meaning that more than 100 million Chinese adults suffer from the disease. About 50.1 percent of adults are prediabetic patients， but only 30.1 percent are aware of their illness.
The study also noted that this data suggests that diabetes in the Chinese population has reached the alert level and a major epidemic of diabetic complications， such as cardiovascular disease， stroke and chronic kidney disease will erupt in China in the near future if there is no direct intervention from the government.
Rich lifestyle downside
Hang Jianmei is not surprised at the findings. As a medical professional specializing in diabetes prevention， she has seen an alarming number of patients succumb to the disease because of an affluent lifestyle.
“The epidemic of diabetes is the byproduct of China’s economic prosperity. The well-off lifestyle that many Chinese pursue today is the greatest threat to their health，” Hang， Director of Beijing Jianheng Diabetes Hospital， told ChinAfrica.
She noted that as Chinese people become more affluent， they eat more high protein and fatty foods. People live in a fast-paced stressful society where technology and machines have taken over many physical tasks.
“The lifestyle of eating too much， but exercising less means more people are putting on weight， which in turn damages insulin [production] in the body，” said Hang. “Without enough insulin， sugar cannot be transformed into energy and accumulates in the blood. When the sugar in the blood reaches a certain level， people may get diabetes.” What makes it worse， the disease， more prevalent in seniors， is now spreading to younger people as the obesity rate of Chinese youth rises. A report released in Obesity Reviews by International Association for the Study of Obesity earlier this year showed that 12 percent of Chinese children are overweight and 1.9 percent of teenagers in the 12 to 18 age group， about 1.7 million， have diabetes. This is four times more than their U.S. peers. About 14.9 percent exhibit pre-diabetic symptoms.
“The high prevalence means the public should pay more attention to diabetes and its implications on economic development，” said Hang.
Economic impact
The nation’s health system is bearing the brunt as it has to cover the expense of treating diabetic patients. “Even without complications， the daily cost for recuperation amounts to 800 to 1，000 yuan （$131 to 164） at least，” said Hang. The Chinese Society of Diabetes under the Chinese Medical Association and International Diabetes Federation jointly conducted a survey on 1，920 sample diabetic patients to examine the economic implication of the disease in 2010. The survey estimated that the annual cost for treating diabetes nationwide was 173.4 billion yuan （$28.5 billion）， taking up 13 percent of the nation’s total medical expenditure. And the frequency of using medical services by diabetic patients is three to four times that of non-diabetic patients. It also predicted that the figure would rise drastically in the next 10 to 20 years.
“People will lose the ability to work when they become disabled because of diabetic complications. This will in turn undermine the productivity of the whole society，” said Hang.
She said that as more and more farmers become wealthy during the urbanization shift， the prevalence of diabetes is also rising in rural areas where the level of health care and people’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle is well below their urban counterparts.
“In China， the rural population makes up the majority of the workforce. The consequences of losing a workforce because of diabetes and its complications will be catastrophic to the nation’s economy，” said Hang.
Prevention network
Hang believes that the results showing more than 100 million Chinese adults suffer from diabetes should put the prevention of chronic disease like diabetes at the top of the government’s agenda. “It is not only a medical issue but a comprehensive one vital to the nation’s future development，” she said. The prevention and treatment of diabetes gained national policy support on May 8， 2012， when the nation issued a work plan for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in China （2012-15）. The plan is set to enable 50 percent of adults above the age of 35 to know their blood glucose levels， and to put 40 percent of diabetic patients under regular treatment by 2015. More than 80 percent of hospitals and health clinics in rural areas can conduct blood glucose monitoring by that time.
Non-governmental organizations have also joined in the ranks of diabetes prevention by advising people to lead a healthier life， said Hang.
“It has been proven that intervention in people’s lifestyle at an early stage is an effective way to prevent diabetes，” she said， adding that the current education on prevention of diabetes in communities should be expanded to children， the white-collar professionals as well as the rural population.
“The whole society is not well aware of the damage brought by chronic disease. There should be a complete network to effectively prevent and treat the disease，” said Hang.
In one way Han is lucky not to have contracted any complications from her diabetes. She attributes this to strict self-control on pursuing a healthy lifestyle. “Besides keeping on a diet， I have been sticking to an exercise routine since I was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago and lost about 10 kg at least [in the process]，” said Han.
Her biggest fear was the thought of battling this chronic disease for the rest of her life. Danger of complications like amputation， blindness， renal failure as well as cardiovascular diseases persisted in her mind. “The lifelong treatment will cost a large sum of money and may destroy me psychologically，” said Han.
Han’s experience mirrors those of millions of Chinese diabetics. A finding about the high prevalence of diabetes in Chinese adults published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on September 3， 2013， raised concerns among the public about the disease and its implications on the nation’s economy. The study shows that about 11.6 percent of Chinese adults have diabetes， meaning that more than 100 million Chinese adults suffer from the disease. About 50.1 percent of adults are prediabetic patients， but only 30.1 percent are aware of their illness.
The study also noted that this data suggests that diabetes in the Chinese population has reached the alert level and a major epidemic of diabetic complications， such as cardiovascular disease， stroke and chronic kidney disease will erupt in China in the near future if there is no direct intervention from the government.
Rich lifestyle downside
Hang Jianmei is not surprised at the findings. As a medical professional specializing in diabetes prevention， she has seen an alarming number of patients succumb to the disease because of an affluent lifestyle.
“The epidemic of diabetes is the byproduct of China’s economic prosperity. The well-off lifestyle that many Chinese pursue today is the greatest threat to their health，” Hang， Director of Beijing Jianheng Diabetes Hospital， told ChinAfrica.
She noted that as Chinese people become more affluent， they eat more high protein and fatty foods. People live in a fast-paced stressful society where technology and machines have taken over many physical tasks.
“The lifestyle of eating too much， but exercising less means more people are putting on weight， which in turn damages insulin [production] in the body，” said Hang. “Without enough insulin， sugar cannot be transformed into energy and accumulates in the blood. When the sugar in the blood reaches a certain level， people may get diabetes.” What makes it worse， the disease， more prevalent in seniors， is now spreading to younger people as the obesity rate of Chinese youth rises. A report released in Obesity Reviews by International Association for the Study of Obesity earlier this year showed that 12 percent of Chinese children are overweight and 1.9 percent of teenagers in the 12 to 18 age group， about 1.7 million， have diabetes. This is four times more than their U.S. peers. About 14.9 percent exhibit pre-diabetic symptoms.
“The high prevalence means the public should pay more attention to diabetes and its implications on economic development，” said Hang.
Economic impact
The nation’s health system is bearing the brunt as it has to cover the expense of treating diabetic patients. “Even without complications， the daily cost for recuperation amounts to 800 to 1，000 yuan （$131 to 164） at least，” said Hang. The Chinese Society of Diabetes under the Chinese Medical Association and International Diabetes Federation jointly conducted a survey on 1，920 sample diabetic patients to examine the economic implication of the disease in 2010. The survey estimated that the annual cost for treating diabetes nationwide was 173.4 billion yuan （$28.5 billion）， taking up 13 percent of the nation’s total medical expenditure. And the frequency of using medical services by diabetic patients is three to four times that of non-diabetic patients. It also predicted that the figure would rise drastically in the next 10 to 20 years.
“People will lose the ability to work when they become disabled because of diabetic complications. This will in turn undermine the productivity of the whole society，” said Hang.
She said that as more and more farmers become wealthy during the urbanization shift， the prevalence of diabetes is also rising in rural areas where the level of health care and people’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle is well below their urban counterparts.
“In China， the rural population makes up the majority of the workforce. The consequences of losing a workforce because of diabetes and its complications will be catastrophic to the nation’s economy，” said Hang.
Prevention network
Hang believes that the results showing more than 100 million Chinese adults suffer from diabetes should put the prevention of chronic disease like diabetes at the top of the government’s agenda. “It is not only a medical issue but a comprehensive one vital to the nation’s future development，” she said. The prevention and treatment of diabetes gained national policy support on May 8， 2012， when the nation issued a work plan for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in China （2012-15）. The plan is set to enable 50 percent of adults above the age of 35 to know their blood glucose levels， and to put 40 percent of diabetic patients under regular treatment by 2015. More than 80 percent of hospitals and health clinics in rural areas can conduct blood glucose monitoring by that time.
Non-governmental organizations have also joined in the ranks of diabetes prevention by advising people to lead a healthier life， said Hang.
“It has been proven that intervention in people’s lifestyle at an early stage is an effective way to prevent diabetes，” she said， adding that the current education on prevention of diabetes in communities should be expanded to children， the white-collar professionals as well as the rural population.
“The whole society is not well aware of the damage brought by chronic disease. There should be a complete network to effectively prevent and treat the disease，” said Hang.
In one way Han is lucky not to have contracted any complications from her diabetes. She attributes this to strict self-control on pursuing a healthy lifestyle. “Besides keeping on a diet， I have been sticking to an exercise routine since I was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago and lost about 10 kg at least [in the process]，” said Han.