Economic loss of diabetes.
Digital Desk, New Delhi. India ranks second in the world in terms of the economic burden caused by diabetes. The country spends about 11.4 trillion dollars every year in its treatment. In this matter, America is in first place, which has to suffer a loss of 16.5 trillion dollars. China, which comes at third place, has an expenditure of 11 trillion dollars.
A study published in the Lancet journal in November 2024 said that more than a quarter of the world's diabetes patients are expected to live in India. Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and Austria's Vienna University of Economics and Business assessed the economic impact of diabetes in 204 countries.
Research published in the journal Nature Medicine said the global cost of treating diabetes, excluding informal care provided by family members, is about $10 trillion. This is about 0.2 percent of the world's annual gross domestic product (GDP). When informal care is included, this figure reaches $152 trillion. This is 1.7 percent of the world's annual GDP.
The researchers said the economic impact of diabetes is much greater than that of Alzheimer's or cancer. Klaus Prettner, professor of macroeconomics at the University of Vienna and author of this research, said that those caring for patients often fall out of the labor market. This generates additional economic costs. Informal care accounts for about 90 percent of the total economic burden.
Researchers said that the high economic cost of diabetes in India and China is mainly due to the large population affected by it, while in the US it is mainly due to high cost of treatment and displacement of capital.
A major difference between high- and low-income countries is treatment costs and labor losses. Treatment costs account for 41 percent of the economic burden for high-income countries, compared to 14 percent for low-income countries.
Michael Kuhn, co-author of the paper, said it was a clear example of how medical treatment for chronic diseases like diabetes is limited to high-income countries. Promoting a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity and a balanced diet is the most effective way to prevent diabetes and reduce its economic impact.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)