Recent numbers released by the Turkish Diabetes Society have highlighted the increasing number of patients with diabetes, reaching more than 400 million worldwide last year.

Yesterday marked World Diabetes Day (WDB) with the motto "Eyes on Diabetes." The year's activities and materials focused on promoting the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.

Turkey follows Russia and Germany in the number of patients aged between 20 and 79 with diabetes. The rate of increase is around 6.7 percent and the prevalence is expected to double within 10 years. The number of diabetes patients is projected to rise to 12 million in the coming years.

According to IDF Diabetes Atlas, due to the increasing levels of poor nutrition and physical inactivity among children in many countries, type 2 diabetes in childhood has the potential to become a global public health issue leading to serious health outcomes. The next finding is that in many countries diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and lower-limb amputation.

Until Nov. 18, events raising awareness on diabetes will continue in Istanbul, accompanied by conferences and blood glucose level measurings.