IDF: Diabetes epidemic continues to rise

NEW YORK — The diabetes epidemic continues to grow at a rapid pace, according to Diabetes Atlas figures released by the International Diabetes Federation.

Data from global studies found that in 2011, the number of people with diabetes has reached 366 million worldwide, with 4.6 million deaths attributed to the disease. Additionally, worldwide healthcare spending on diabetes has reached $465 billion.

IDF said it presented the figures at the Lisbon meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

"IDF’s latest Atlas data are proof indeed that diabetes is a massive challenge the world can no longer afford to ignore," IDF president Jean Claude Mbanya said. "In 2011, one person is dying from diabetes every seven seconds. The clock is ticking for the world’s leaders — we expect action from their high-level meeting next week at the United Nations [Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases] that will halt diabetes’ relentlessly upwards trajectory."