Global risk factors, epidemiology, and disease burden of type 2 diabetes

Over the past three decades, the number of people with diabetes mellitus worldwide has surged dramatically, with diabetes mellitus now ranking as the ninth leading cause of death. Globally, about one in every eleven adults is affected by diabetes, with 90% of these cases being type 2 diabetes. Asia has emerged as a region for the rapidly escalating global epidemic of type 2 diabetes, particularly in developing countries such as China and India. While genetic predisposition partly determines an individual’s susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are the primary drivers of the current global epidemic. Early life exposure and experience contribute to the development of impairment of glucose metabolism, including type 2 diabetes in later life. A healthy lifestyle as a routine in adulthood prevents the disease as an interventional target, including the maintenance of a healthy weight, a balanced diet, regular physical activity, and being free of smoking and alcohol consumption. Complications of diabetes impaired the quality of life and shortened the lifespan, including cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, visual impairment, neuropathies, peripheral artery diseases, and other emerging complications such as infections and chronic ulcerations. The trends of the epidemiological pattern represent the achievement of previous clinical and public health interventions and current challenges, which indicate the major tasks for clinicians and clinical researchers in the future.