GWENT'S five council areas have the joint highest prevalence of diabetes in Wales, according to new figures from the charity Diabetes UK Cymru.
The shock figure reveal that 8.1 per cent of people in Newport, Torfaen, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent have been diagnosed with diabetes, a prevalence shared with south Powys, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
And with more than 40,000 people aged over 17 years old diagnosed with diabetes, the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area has the joint highest prevalence (8.1 per cent) of health boards in Wales.
The Wales-wide average 7.6 per cent, which is also the largest of any country in the UK.
It means that the number of people in Wales with diabetes now numbers 198,883, up from 194,693 last year.
In addition, there could be as many as 61,501 more people living with Type 2 diabetes who are living with the disease but do not know they have it because they have not been diagnosed, bringing the likely total number to more than 260,000.
Around 90 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 2, which means they do not have enough insulin in their blood, or their insulin does not work properly.
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People with Type 2 diabetes are 50 per cent more likely to die prematurely, usually due to increased risk of heart disease.
“Type 2 diabetes is the urgent public health crisis in Wales, and the only way to solve it is by decisive leadership from Welsh government,” said Dai Williams, national director for Diabetes UK Cymru.
“Wales is the only country in the UK without a diabetes prevention programme.
“More than half of all cases could be prevented or delayed by supporting people to make healthier choices, including mandating industry to make food and drinks healthier and addressing the marketing of unhealthy foods.”
The data also shows a stark annual increase of more than 100,000 people living with a diabetes UK-wide, the overall figure now topping 3.9 million.
If the current rate continues, the number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 5.3 million by 2025.
Find out more about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes and what you can do to reduce your risk here: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes/diabetes-risk-factors
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