Rate of diabetes in the UK reaches record high, new figures show

The rate of people with diabetes in the UK is now at a record high, according to new figures released by Diabetes UK.
This week marks the beginning of Diabetes Week, and after Diabetes UK extracted official NHS data to highlight these figures, there has been a call to prevent diabetes from shattering the under-pressure NHS.
There are 3.9 million people with diabetes in the UK, according to these figures, while the prevalence of diagnosed diabetics increased from 3.24 per cent between 2012/13 and 2013/14.
In Wales, 177,212 cases of diabetes were recorded, an all-time high for the country, with researchers estimating this figure could reach 288,000 in 10 years time.
In Bradford, meanwhile, a 3.3 per cent rise of diagnosed diabetics was noted over the last year, where figures show there are now 7,868 people diagnosed with diabetes.
The rise in Sussex over the last year was 4.7 per cent – 3,611 adults – while Kent, Brighton and Crawley were among others regions where increased diabetes prevalence was found.
Following the release of these figures, a Diabetes UK statement said: “Over the last decade, we have seen the number of people with diabetes rising at an alarming rate and these latest figures are a stark call to action – we must act now or face the very real danger of diabetes devastating the lives of even more people, and threatening to wreck the already over-burdened NHS.”