Type 2 Diabetes up by a Third

Prescriptions for type 2 diabetes have increased from 26 million to 35 million in the last five years.

17:37 11 October 2016

NHS data shows that prescriptions for type 2 diabetes have increased by a third in the last five years. The analysis of the data also reveals the hotspots for the disease in London and Lincolnshire, with the London borough of Newham having twice the national average of prescriptions.

 

Commenting on the data, Diabetes UK said it was a good sign that the disease was being diagnosed. It said that the next step is to get people to “manage their condition better.”

 

Krishna Sarda, the engagement communities manager for Diabetes UK, said: "I think GPs are becoming more aware that maybe one of the things they should do for their patients when they come in among other things is to get a HbA1c test done for them.

 

"Which means we don't have people walking around silently carrying that condition and sometimes only realising when it's too late sadly."

 

The figures were the result of the analysis of more than 700 million rows on spreadsheets and included every prescription handed out by pharmacies in England from August 2010 to July 2016. 

 

Based on the data, the top 10 areas for type 2 diabetes prescriptions are:

 

·       Newham (London)

 

·       East Lindsey (Lincolnshire)

 

·       South Holland (Lincolnshire)

 

·       Tower Hamlets (London)

 

·       Tendring (Essex)

 

·       Nuneaton and Bedworth (Warwickshire)

 

·       Harrow (London)

 

·       North Warwickshire (Warwickshire)

 

·       Oldham(Greater Manchester)

 

·       Sunderland (Tyne and Wear)