Dr Dulmini Kariyawasam, clinical lead for diabetes at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said the growing rate of type 2 diabetes among young people was “alarming”, particularly given the long-term harms it could have.
“With more people developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes at a younger age, it’s also critical that much more is done to find the missing millions who either have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes but are completely unaware of it.
One in five UK adults living with diabetes or pre-diabetes as diagnoses reach all-time high Charity Diabetes UK called the situation a ‘hidden health crisis’ and urged the government to act immediately.
She said young people with type 2 diabetes were more likely to get cardiovascular disease and other complications, and research shows those aged under 40 have a significantly shorter life expectancy than their non-diabetic peers.
Some 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which happens when the body does not use insulin properly, while 2 per cent have different and rarer forms of the condition.
