摘要：据美国物理学家组织网报道，一个国际研究小组通过整理和分析1980年以来全球糖尿病病例数据发现，成年糖尿病患者的数量2008年已达3.47亿，是1980年糖尿病患者数量的两倍。该研究发表在《柳叶刀》杂志上。
糖尿病是由于人体细胞无法吸收葡萄糖，而导致血液中葡萄糖堆积过多，血液中葡萄糖量高于正常水平的疾病。糖尿病可引发心脏病和中风，造成肾脏、神经和视网膜损害。每年全球超过300万人因糖尿病死亡。
由伦敦帝国理工学院马吉德教授和哈佛大学公共卫生学院博士古德兹领导的国际研究小组发现，自1980年至2008年，成人糖尿病患者人数从1.53亿上升到3.47亿，其中男性糖尿病患者比例从8.3％上升到9.8％，女性糖尿病患者比例从7.5％上升到9.2％。导致糖尿病患者数量上升的因素70%是由于人口增长和老龄化，另有30％归结于高发病率。
马吉德表示，糖尿病已成为全球发病率最高和死亡率最高的疾病。研究表明，糖尿病在世界各地随处可见。高血压和高胆固醇在全球已呈下降趋势，但糖尿病却呈上升趋势，并且更难预防和治疗。古德兹认为，除非加强血糖检测，帮助人们改善饮食习惯，加强身体锻炼和控制体重，否则糖尿病将不可避免地成为世界卫生系统的沉重负担。
该研究还发现，太平洋岛国的糖尿病最为严重，其糖尿病患者的比例最高。在马绍尔群岛，三分之一女性和四分之一的男性患有糖尿病。此外，南亚、拉丁美洲、加勒比海地区、中亚、北非和中东地区糖尿病患者的比例也比较高。在高收入国家，糖尿病患者的数量上升相对较小，其中美国、格陵兰岛、马耳他、新西兰和西班牙相对较高，最低的是荷兰，奥地利和法国。血糖水平最低的地区为撒哈拉以南的非洲地区、东亚和东南亚。
生物探索推荐英文原文：
National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose and diabetes prevalence since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 370 country-years and 2.7 million participants
Background
Data for trends in glycaemia and diabetes prevalence are needed to understand the effects of diet and lifestyle within populations, assess the performance of interventions, and plan health services. No consistent and comparable global analysis of trends has been done. We estimated trends and their uncertainties in mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diabetes prevalence for adults aged 25 years and older in 199 countries and territories.
Methods
We obtained data from health examination surveys and epidemiological studies (370 country-years and 2.7 million participants). We converted systematically between different glycaemic metrics. For each sex, we used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate mean FPG and its uncertainty by age, country, and year, accounting for whether a study was nationally, subnationally, or community representative.
Findings
In 2008, global age-standardised mean FPG was 5.50 mmol/L (95% uncertainty interval 5.37—5.63) for men and 5.42 mmol/L (5.29—5.54) for women, having risen by 0.07 mmol/L and 0.09 mmol/L per decade, respectively. Age-standardised adult diabetes prevalence was 9.8% (8.6—11.2) in men and 9.2% (8.0—10.5) in women in 2008, up from 8.3% (6.5—10.4) and 7.5% (5.8—9.6) in 1980. The number of people with diabetes increased from 153 (127—182) million in 1980, to 347 (314—382) million in 2008. We recorded almost no change in mean FPG in east and southeast Asia and central and eastern Europe. Oceania had the largest rise, and the highest mean FPG (6.09 mmol/L, 5.73—6.49 for men; 6.08 mmol/L, 5.72—6.46 for women) and diabetes prevalence (15.5%, 11.6—20.1 for men; and 15.9%, 12.1—20.5 for women) in 2008. Mean FPG and diabetes prevalence in 2008 were also high in south Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and central Asia, north Africa, and the Middle East. Mean FPG in 2008 was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, east and southeast Asia, and high-income Asia-Pacific. In high-income subregions, western Europe had the smallest rise, 0.07 mmol/L per decade for men and 0.03 mmol/L per decade for women; North America had the largest rise, 0.18 mmol/L per decade for men and 0.14 mmol/L per decade for women.
Interpretation
Glycaemia and diabetes are rising globally, driven both by population growth and ageing and by increasing age-specific prevalences. Effective preventive interventions are needed, and health systems should prepare to detect and manage diabetes and its sequelae.
Funding
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and WHO.
