Diabetes: key points

• The most recent Scottish Diabetes Survey (2008) estimates that there were 219,963 people with a diagnosis of diabetes in Scotland at the end of 2008.
• Diabetes is an important cause of disability and increases the risk of coronary heart disease and other health problems. It is more common in deprived areas.
• Type 1 diabetes often starts at a young age and is due to a lack of insulin. It accounts for 10-15% of all cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes starts with resistance to the action of insulin and is associated with older age, overweight and obesity.
• The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly in Scotland, as in many other countries.
• Part of this increase is likely to be due to increased levels of awareness of diabetes among health professionals and the public and more complete recording of diagnoses of diabetes as a result of improved information systems.
• However, the largest part of the increase is likely to be due to poor diet (specifically excess energy intake), low levels of physical activity and the resulting increase in levels of obesity. Type 2 diabetes is much more common at older ages and the increase in the number of older people in Scotland also contributes to the increase in numbers of those with diabetes.
• In addition, it is thought that many cases of diabetes remain undiagnosed.
• The annual Scottish Diabetes Survey is improving in quality and completeness and is an increasingly important source of information about diagnosed diabetes in Scotland. The most recent available survey (2008) is available from the publications section of the Diabetes in Scotland website.

Section updates: The last major update of this section was completed in December 2009. The next major update is due to be carried out by the end of December 2010.

Key statistics:

	Males	Females	All
Number of cases diagnosed in 2008	n/a	n/a	n/a
Crude Prevalence in 2008(1)	4.8%	3.8%	4.3%
Number of deaths in 2007 (2)	2,110	1,950	4,060
% people surviving 5 years after diagnosis	n/a	n/a	n/a
Lifetime risk of developing (all ages)	n/a	n/a	n/a
Lifetime risk of developing (from age 50)	n/a	n/a	n/a

Note: n/a - not available.

(1) Source: Scottish Diabetes Survey 2008. It is recognised that this may be an underestimate of the true prevalence. The prevalence for males and females is estimated from figures in the 2008 Scottish Diabetes Survey and from GROS mid-2008 population estimates.

(2) Source: ISD linked database (using deaths data supplied by the General Register Office for Scotland). The figures are for deaths where there was any mention of diabetes.