Diabetes: key points

• The most recent Scottish Diabetes Survey (2006) estimates that there are 196,801 people with a diagnosis of diabetes.
• 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 is the Scottish Diabetes Survey 2006.

Key statistics:

	Males	Females	All
Number of cases diagnosed in 2006	n/a	n/a	n/a
Crude Prevalence in 2006(1)	4.3%	3.4%	3.9%
Number of deaths in 2006 (2)	1,964	1,908	3,872
% 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 2006  It is recognised that this is likely to be an underestimate of the true prevalence. The prevalence for males and females is estimated from figures in the 2006 Scottish Diabetes Survey tables.

(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.