SEA, Pacific to bear brunt of diabetes epidemic

Southeast Asia and the Pacific will bear the brunt of a diabetes epidemic by 2010 as the region continues to adopt Western lifestyle and food, an expert said recently.

According to Dr. Tommy Willing, president of the Philippine Diabetes Association (PDA), diabetes is the hidden epidemic of the 21st century.

“Diabetes is a time bomb… Every 10 seconds, a person dies of complications from diabetes. At the same time, two people develop the disease,” he noted in a forum.

It is estimated that 245 million people worldwide are afflicted with diabetes. By 2025, the figure is expected to soar to more than 380 million because of the seven million new cases of diabetes annually. – Sheila Crisostomo