The Tsunami of Cardiometabolic Diseases: An Overview

Cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity and Type-2 diabetes, are a growing concern and have become an epidemic worldwide. A World Health Organization (WHO) report, - ‘Global Prevalence of Type-2 diabetes’ estimates incidence of this disease, to be 9% among adults. An estimated 1.5 million death worldwide, were directly caused by diabetes. More than 80% of the Type-2 diabetes-related deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. Worldwide in 2013, it was estimated that almost 400 million people suffer from diabetes, and this is supposed to reach a high of 600 million by 2035. According to the World Health Organization estimates, the impact of Type-2 diabetes-related health care expenditure, to prevent and manage diabetes and its clinical complications in the USA alone, was USD 360 billion in 2010 and will exceed 360 billion by 2030. WHO predicts losses in national income from Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) to be in equivalents of 557 billion in International Dollars (ID) in China, 303 billion in Russia, and 236 billion in India. Currently, there are 75 million diabetics in India and an equal number of pre-diabetics. The incidence of Type-2 diabetes in China also has reached epidemic proportions. Gulf Countries also have reported a high incidence of diabetes. One of the Global targets for diabetes management was to halt by 2025, the rise in the age-standardized adult prevalence of this disease, at its 2010 levels. However, according a recent publication in the Lancet (April 2016) by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, if the post-2000 trends continue in the increased incidence of type-2 diabetes, the probability of meeting the global target of halting the rise in the prevalence of diabetes by 2025 at the 2020 level worldwide is lower than 1% for men and women. Because of these observations, the best choice we have is, to go by the World Diabetes Federation recommendations, and manage the hyperglycemia efficiently. Besides, develop programs for early detection of altered glucose metabolism, and implement robust strategies for normalization of this altered state. In conclusion, through robust prevention programs, reduce the disease incidence, through better diagnostic tests, detect early risks that initiate or promote clinical complications, and by effective management of the risks, reduce or prevent acute events related to the end-organ failure.