Non-insulin dependent diabetes needs more attention

The financial, medical, and personal impact of non-insulin dependent diabetes has been greatly underestimated, says a London based health policy group, the King's Fund.

The fund estimates that the cost of treating the complications, which affect 85% of all people with diabetes and over a million people in Britain, is at least double previous estimates and may be as high as £2bn ($3.5bn) a year. Its report found that by 2011 expenditure on diabetes could total 10% of NHS revenue.

The World Health Organisation has already warned of a worldwide epidemic of non-insulin dependent diabetes, while in Britain longevity, together with obesity and physical inactivity, is likely …